Star Crossed
by Black-Rose01
Summary: A random meeting in the Barrens sends a young Shaman on the most amazing of adventures. To a place she's only visited once before with terrible results. She has a chance to set things right but it won't be easy and it might just cost them their lives in the process. (Title has been changed)
1. Chapter 1

Rose: Wanted to make a pairing like this for a while. But I've only just got around to it so I hope you enjoy it.

Note…this is a long story.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot…kinda.

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The Barrens of Kalimdor lived up to their name. The air was arid and the ground cracked and dry, burning red under the midday sun.

Mythrii's frog, the soft fleshy underside of her hoof, was scorched and painfully inflamed from having been walking so long on the dusty hot earth. But as she jostled her heavy bag on her shoulder, she felt it would be worth it in the long run. Besides, just up ahead, behind the hazy heat waves, she spotted a caravan post that promised a short respite.

She would much prefer to sit in the sun and wait for a ride, than walk another step on her broken feet. Her hooves were in dire need of care and once she was back in Stormwind she would take great pleasure in visiting the farrier, who was the only person other than those in the Exodar who knew how to care for hooves it seemed.

But there was someone already waiting at the caravan post. A Troll.

She paused slightly, debating whether to stop and wait beside him or to continue on…and risk injury. It was still another two days' walk to Ratchet and she didn't want to spend another night out in these wilds. So swallowing the lump in her throat, the young Draenei approached slowly and tried to place her bag down quietly so as to not to disturb him, his eyes flickered towards her as she sat down and manoeuvred her robes into a more comfortable position.

Dark lips pulled into a strained half-smile as Mythrii caught him watching her "hello" she nodded politely, perhaps if she used a soft tone of voice he would realise that she meant no trouble and would leave her be. The Barrens were predominantly the territory of the Horde, being a member of the Alliance and walking around this place was…risky, to say the least.

The Troll grunted something in his native tongue and raised his two fingered hand in a slight wave. Relief washed over her and her muscles relaxed. He didn't mean her any harm it seemed.

Brushing back her short pale hair, the lilac skinned Draenei felt her hand become sticky with sweat, with a sniff of disgust she wiped it off on her bag and tried to fix her hair as best she could. What would Marlo think if he saw her in this state? He'd think she'd been mugged.

She wasn't the only one feeling the heat, the stench of troll sweat was overbearing in the thick heat of the day. As if reading her mind, though she tried to keep her face blank, the Troll lifted his arm and inhaled the pit for a good few seconds, Mythrii chocked back a heaving sound and watched him lower his arm and shrug "oh my…" she mumbled, he must have heard her because he started chuckling and her face burned violet "excuse me" she apologised, only realising a moment after just what language she had spoken in.

His hunched back became straight in shock and he was now the one burning deep indigo "ya speak Orcish?"

They stared at one another for a moment. Then, almost simultaneously, a drop of sweat rolled down both their noses and fell to the earth, which drank it greedily. The tension broke "ya accent be perfect. But ya be a Draenei!"

"Well, yes" she nodded "all Draenei know Orcish fluently, being as our two races were rather close at one point…a very long time ago, mind you"

"Ya, ya" he waved her off "I know da stories…Demon blood and all dat"

"Don't you speak other languages at all?"

"I'm a Druid" he replied shortly "part of da Cenarion Circle; I'm supposed to be learning Common but I ain't bothered. I got friends who speak it fine and dey can translate"

She laughed "surely speaking it yourself is better in the long run? I myself am a member of the Earthen Ring and I understand the language barriers. I'm still not fluent in Taur-ahe and I have a very basic grasp of Zandali, enough to hold a conversation I suppose…but I'm still unable to ask where the washroom is" when the Troll laughed, it was loud and earth shattering. The vibrations rolling down and making the woman shake where she sat "my name is Mythrii…"

He was silent for a moment and she began to grow worried, had she overstepped some sort of boundary?

"Zenji"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Zenji"

"Ya heading to Ratchet?"

"Yes, I am. You?" he nodded.

This was rather pleasant. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined having a nice chat with a Troll in the middle of Horde land. Of course there were Trolls in the Earthen Ring, they were the ones that were teaching her to speak Zandali, but she tended to avoid both them and the Orcs in her free time in favour of the Dwarves. The Tauren were friendly, they reminded her of the Night Elves but they were very close to Orcs also, and that made her and her fellow Draenei Shamans nervous.

Though those affiliated with the Ring and Circle weren't technically a part of the Horde or Alliance, there were still certain lines that one couldn't cross. A Dwarf could not expect to walk into Orgrimmar merely because he was a Shaman, and the same of a Tauren Druid in Stormwind. So all Orcs made all Draenei nervous and unsettled.

"Ya be taking da boat I assume? Ta Booty Bay?"

Mythrii shook her head "oh no, I'm on my way to Stormwind" she patted her large bag and grinned "I'm meeting a Mage friend in Ratchet and we're going to use a portal"

"Long way for a portal"

"Well, he was in Theramore on business and I've been travelling around these Barrens looking for supplies. It was his idea to meet up in Ratchet, why take the boat and extend my journey any longer when he is able to take us both back?"

Zenji nodded "makes sense"

Mythrii cleared her throat, the feeling of embarrassment rising up once more as she realised she'd begun to babble. Tucking some hair behind one ear she smiled and pursed her lips, choosing instead to drum her nails on her bag.

The Troll stretched his back and rolled his shoulders, he was waiting for her to say something else but she had fallen silent. He'd only met her a few minutes previously but he couldn't help but think her being quiet was abnormal; she seemed like the type of person who liked to talk…a lot.

He raised one hand, the bruised purple hued skin shining with glistening sweat, and began to fondle one of the tusks that protruded from his upper jaw; they were long and slightly yellowed, curving down from his upper jaw in a sleek slope that curled at the ends. Large tusks were considered to be very attractive with Trolls but sometimes he wished they weren't so big, they sometimes got in the way…

Stroking tusks was a common habit most Trolls developed, Troll children especially when they were bored or scared. Similar to human babes sucking their thumbs. Most grew out of it but every so often it would creep back in, when Zenji was particularly nervous, frightened or bored his hands would reach for his tusks.

Now he was nervous. The Draenei had fallen silent and was tapping her fingers on her bag. Why was she silent? What was she thinking? Was she planning something?

"Why are ya so quiet?" he asked her lowly.

She jumped "um…" and he watched her fingers begin to twist around one another "I was afraid my chatter would annoy you"

The Troll shook his head, ivory strands of hair falling out of the braided knot that ran down his neck "betta ta listen ta you rather den the earth baking"

Mythrii blushed and looked away to hide it "oh…oh look! The caravan!" she jumped up happily, ignoring the pain in her feet to hop impatiently "yes! Finally! Shade and shelter and a comfy place to sit and…yes, yes!"

Zenji pushed on his knees to stand himself up, taking his own bag with him and throwing it over his back. The woman grinned as the caravan, being pulled by a Kodo, stopped and the Goblin in the front seat bid them hello in both Common and Orcish. The Troll reached the back first and tossed his bag into the canvas covered boot before stepping up, his long legs making it easy.

Mythrii, too tired to lift her bag all the way, half dragged it to the back and proceeded to spend the next thirty seconds trying to heave it up, the Goblin was half sighing in impatience and half laughing in obvious amusement.

"Sorry, sorry!" she blabbed, panting and sweating "you'd think I'd learn to pack less…"

Suddenly the bag was gone and she slipped, catching the edge of the caravan to stop herself hitting her head. Looking up she saw the white haired Troll holding her bag, he placed it softly on the floor before lifting her into the boot by her arm and after setting her down, slightly less gently, he called to the front in Orcish; then they felt the wagon begin to move "what's in dat bag of yours?" Zenji asked curiously "it be pretty heavy, even for me. Ya been carrying it long?"

"All over the Barrens" she sighed, wiping her forehead and sitting down "it's filled with my wares"

"Wares?" he echoed, his interest peaking somewhat "what kind of wares dem be den?"

"I'm a Jewel crafter. I've been travelling over the Barrens for the better part of a month looking for copper, tin and silver to complete some pieces to sell"

"All dat work for a little bit o' copper?" the male snorted in disbelief.

She sighed dreamily "it's worth it…believe me Zenji. When you mould those small pieces of ore into a beautiful bracelet or ring and then set in a gemstone of some sort you wouldn't believe how amazing it is to see someone's face light up as they first set eyes on it-"

"Breathe, Draenei, remember to breathe" he interrupted and, as if suddenly remembering she had lungs, Mythrii inhaled deeply and her cheeks returned to their natural lilac colour.

"Oh…oh my…I'm so sorry! I get carried away sometimes but, you see, we Draenei have an affinity with gemstones and ores, my own name is derived from mythril. And it just makes me so happy to see my wares bring people such joy! I remember once a man asked me to create a beautiful ring for his intended, I make it with white gold and set it with flawless diamonds that would shimmer with rainbows in the light and it was so beautiful, he almost cried when he saw it and-"

"Breathe!"

"Ah…ha…ah…ha" she giggled "sorry"

"So dese gems of yours be pretty good, eh? Let's see den" he motioned to her bag.

Mythrii shyly pulled it closer to her and untied the flap "um…if you'd really like to see them you can. I don't have many complete pieces; I need to finish them when I return to Stormwind. But there are a few here that will give you an idea of what I'm capable of"

She extracted a small satchel, and from within that she pulled out a pouch of rings, three bracelets, a necklace, two broaches and a few long chains of crystals that were obviously unfinished.

"Ah…" Zenji picked up one of the thin, delicate bracelets in his thick fingers and lay it across his huge palm "dese be so intricate. I never thought dere'd be anyone who could wind wire like dis. So complicated…"

"Thank you!"

He smirked, lips pulling back from his tucks to reveal more teeth that he meant "ya be surprised at me complimenting ya? Zenji knows good work when he sees it" he lay the bracelet back down "da cut of da gems be nice. Polished but dey look natural…almost wild…ya got more colours of dese?" he pointed to the long gemstone chains.

"Yes, a few. They're bracelets but I haven't had a chance to complete them yet, most people prefer a melding of metal and stone. I'm trying something different with purely gem made accessories-"

"I like 'em" the white haired Troll muttered "how much?"

She stared at him, glowing silver eyes wide "they're not finished…you won't be able to do anything with it…"

"Ah, dat's where ya wrong" he chuckled, holding up one of the gem chains he hooked the small ring on one end over the edge of his tusk. It didn't go down far and so barely hung on but Mythrii understood completely.

"I can make the ring bigger, it would only take a few minutes…or perhaps a piece of leather thread instead? And it looks much too long…a shorter chain for sure…and maybe smaller gems to make it lighter…" her mind had shifted into work mode as she began thinking of ways to make the ornament comfortable for wearing on an elongated tooth "oh I'm sorry, you wanted a different colour didn't you?"

"Ya got any purple? Or maybe dark blue?"

"Yes, in-fact I believe I do…" her long fingers dived into her bag and began extracting different satchels and pouches "here are a variety of purple gems…and I have some leather thread! Excellent, I'm sure that would be better than a metal chain"

Zenji watched her dart between materials. Her long fingers delicately polishing the gemstones he'd chosen until they shone, and then threading them onto the leather, it looked simple enough to do, anyone could thread gems…it was the finding and cutting them that was difficult and that was the part he could appreciate, of course her artistic style was also something to admire. The gems she'd mined were almost black to the eye, unless the light hit them where upon they glowed a deep violet and reflected pale coloured patterns on the ground.

"How much dese gems worth?"

"They're a type of Amethyst" the Draenei muttered, only half paying attention to him "pretty common if you know where to look…but not many people do" she smiled at him, their eyes coming into contact for a split second just before she raised the chain in front of him "how long do you want this?"

"Dat looks about right…let me feel"

She dropped it in his hand so he could hook it over his right tusk, wherein he began to rock his head from side to side and back and forth "what do you think?"

"Bout right" he nodded, the trinket swaying as he did so.

"You don't think it'll get in the way?"

"Trolls make a habit of wearing tings on their tusks, like how ya might wear a ring. Dis feels fine. Long enough to feel and light enough to not be a nuisance"

"Are you happy with shining gems, or would you prefer a more opaque type? As a Druid the reflections they cause might attract attention…"

He chuckled "I'm a Guardian, mon, I'm meant to attract attention"

Mythrii smiled "ah I see. Then just let me cut the tails and neaten the tie at the end and it's all yours"

"How much do I owe ya?"

She waved him off politely "you can have it for free…if you carry my bag for me when we reach Ratchet?" her pointed canines glinted as she grinned cheekily.

"Deal" Zenji handed the chain to her and waited patiently as she used a small knife to cut the leather ends after tying them in a secure, tidy, knot "ya be a good crafter. I'm sure dere be many in Orgrimmar who would be interested in dis type of ting. Shame ya can't sell dem dere"

"Yes I suppose. I've sold a few items to the Horde in more neutral areas. The female Orcs are usually very interested in my earrings. I had a Forsaken man buy a necklace for his wife once, and the Blood Elves especially, either here in Azeroth or on Draenor, love anything red or green of mine"

"Pfff. Blood Elves love anyting as long as it's shiny" he scoffed "but I know a few Trolls who'd like dese. I'll be da envy of da males back in Sen'jin" he chortled at the thought. Every female in the area would be clamouring around him to ask about his tusk trinket.

"Is there where you're headed?" the woman asked as she packed away her supplies.

He shrugged "Ratchet be the closest flight path available to me. On ma way to Orgrimmar, but I may take a side trip to Sen'jin, if only to show off a little"

"Be sure to tell them from whom you got that trinket. Perhaps they might see me somewhere and want to buy something" Mythrii yawned, leaning back against the canvas and closing her eyes to prepare to sleep "hmmm…after sleeping in the dirt for so long this feels like heaven"

She thought Zenji might have said something else, but she was far too tired to pay attention and let herself fall into a deep sleep, the rocking of the caravan on the terrain lulling her away.

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Rose: Okay, that's chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it somewhat; more of the plot comes out in the next chapter as this one really just introduces the main characters.

Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

Rose: Thanks for reading the last chapter and reviewing if you did so. On to the second one.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

**Orcish **

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Mythrii stretched as she felt herself awaken. Her neck was aching but it wasn't anything too bothersome. She merely cracked it and sat up to rub her feet, they were hurting even more than they had been before she'd gone to sleep; fingering the underside of her hoof she could feel the heat from the swelling before she made contact.

"Bother…" it was going to be a pain, literally, to walk when they reached Ratchet.

Speaking of 'they' the Troll she'd met, Zenji, was lying on his back with his arms crossed behind his head and snoring loudly. The leather garments he wore crackled each time he took breath and she pulled a face at the thought of wearing such thick garments in this heat, even though she was a Shaman she often forwent leather and mail clothes unless they were necessary, in heat like this she preferred breathable cloth.

Her hand tried to neaten her hair, brushing through the locks to untie knots and fixing her side parting as well as pulling off some strands that had become tangled around her short horns, what she would have given to have been gifted with a pair of crests that swept back along the side of her head.

Struggling to a standing position she walked to the back of the caravan and stood on the side before parting the canvas to peek out. In the light of the slowly rising sun she could see the outline of Ratchet just over the hill. Another twenty minutes or so and they'd be there and soon after that she'd be in Stormwind, ready to get her hooves tended to and her wares sold.

"**How far we be, Draenei?**"

"**Not far. I can see Ratchet**"

Zenji rolled onto his side and yawned, his mouth stretching so wide Mythrii thought she might be able to fit her whole head into it without touching him. The trinket on his tusk rattled when he smacked his lips.

Turning back around, she craned her neck and felt the wind brush through her hair and chill the sweat upon her cheeks. For a moment she closed her eyes and savoured it before popping them back open and looking once more in the direction of the town "**something's wrong…**" she whispered, catching the Troll's attention "**the sky…it looks like it's on fire**"

He got to his own feet and came up behind her, swinging himself out onto the side of the caravan and holding himself by his fingers and toes "**someting be on fire alright! Da town!**"

"**No!**" she breathed "**no! What about the people? What about my friend? How could this have happened? How does a seaside town catch on fire?**"

"**Stop axing me questions, woman!**" he snarled, hopping back into the inside. As he did the caravan gave a jerk and the Goblin started screaming something in Orcish.

"**My wife! My wife!**"

Kodo roared and began to pick up speed, it galloped the last leg of the journey, cutting the travel time in half but knocking Mythrii and Zenji around as they had nothing to hold onto.

The Goblin leapt from his seat before the carriage had fully slowed and ran off into the throngs of panicked townspeople, now calling his wife's name in hopes of finding her.

Mythrii almost did the same. Worried about her friend she jumped out the back of the carriage and trotted off, half limping as she did, towards the upper level inn which was one of the few buildings to not have been set a light.

"Marlo! Marlo!" she cupped her hands around her mouth to increase the volume of her shouts. But over the roars of the flames and the cries of the townsfolk her voice was drowned out and her throat grew hoarse "Marlo!" she shrieked again but there was no answer.

Why couldn't she see him? Most of the residents were Goblins, there were some Blood Elves, Humans, Orcs or Trolls dotted around above the green skinned heads but still. A Worgen should be more than noticeable in a situation like this.

"**Draenei**" the familiar thick accent brushed her pointed ears and she turned to see Zenji standing behind her, both their bags in his hands.

"**Help me!**" she begged "**please! You have to help me find Marlo, he could be injured…or…or dead!**"

"**Be still, Draenei**" the Troll placed his bag on the floor and petted her head "**ya friend be fine, trust me**"

With tear blurred vision, Mythrii barely caught the flash of a spell as it cut across her to collide with the chest of the huge being trying to comfort her. There was a feral roar that she recognised and looked up in time to be engulfed in warm one armed hug. The smell of Arcane Magic filled her nose, along with the scent of warm bread and smoke.

"Marlo…" she whispered, though no one could hear her; he was a new, but close friend, much more like a brother than anything else and like all her friends she cherished him. Now, he was charging another spell with his spare hand, pointing it at the still dazed Zenji "Marlo NO!" she knocked his arm just in time for the blast to fly off into the sky, the Worgen growled at her first and then spat at the feet of the Troll.

"Mythrii, how long have you been here?" his voice was rough and untamed like most Worgen.

"We just arrived. What happened here?" it was almost impossible to speak with the constant noise, people were yelling about water buckets and the flames seemed to be getting louder.

Marlo raised his voice as a group of Elves and Goblins dashed by "it all started with that earthquake a couple days ago! First the edges of the town crumbled, then the cliffs seemed to flatten and the next thing we knew half the town was gone! Lamps and fireplaces spread flames that we haven't been able to dull since it began!"

"I can help!" the Draenei slipped out of his arm and hurried towards the nearest building, she wasn't wearing the correct gear for such spells but she was sure basic water chanting would suffice "I call upon the children of Neptulon to lend me their favour!"

Raising her arms to the sky she repeated the summon; the waters by the docks bubbled and burst up into the air in a shower of rain that lessened but did not completely extinguish the fires on the lower inn.

"My frost spells do little to help" Marlo sighed "I am not trained in such arts, if only there were others here with abilities like yours"

"I will not be able to save the whole town! But I can at least lessen the flames on a few buildings to make things easier for the townspeople. No doubt much of the town is lost but the main structures might still be saved!"

The Shaman was tired from her long treks across the Barrens and the rough sleep in the back of the caravan. If she were in a better condition she would have no trouble with wetting every flame that burned the air around them.

"Marlo, are you able to make portals to other cities?"

The Worgen flicked his long ear as a stray ember singed the fur on its tip "like, to Dalaran or Shattrah?"

"No!" Mythrii coughed as she inhaled a thick cloud of black smoke exhaled from a nearby building collapsing "to Orgrimmar and such places"

"It's possible. I'm not trained to make portals that lead to enemy cities, but the technique is probably the same"

"**Zenji!**" the white haired Troll raised his head as she shouted to him "**Marlo says he might be able to make you a portal to Orgrimmar!**"

Although unable to understand the language she spoke. Marlo quickly realised he'd been volunteered to make a portal for the Troll that had arrived with his friend "MYTHRII!" the auburn furred wolf man bellowed.

"Not now, Marlo" it wasn't possible to see, but her glowing white pupils had rolled in a wide arch in response to her friends anger "oh, by the way" she smiled over her should "Marlo this is Zenji, **Zenji, Marlo**"

The Druid smirked, lips pulling widely over his tusks and waved at the Worgen "nice…meet ta…puppy" the Troll said in broken, almost unintelligible Common. Mythrii squealed.

"**You said you didn't speak Common!**"

"**Like I was gonna tell ya I'm terrible at it. But dis be worth it**"

"You mutated toad!" Marlo snarled.

"Big…dog…lap!"

"Gentlemen!" Mythrii crumbled slightly, the weight of the elements finally becoming to much as she lost the energy to channel effectively "if you wouldn't mind…less fighting…more saving"

Marlo bared his canines in the direction of Zenji before going to help the Draenei back to her feet "are you alright? You're usually much more focused than this"

She sighed "it's been a very…very long few days" her hair was matted and stained dirty grey from the smoke and soot "plus my foot is really hurting and I don't like the heat. I'm thirsty and hungry and my shoulder feels like it's been ripped from its socket from carrying my bag. Not to mention my arms from all that mining!"

Her friend chuckled deeply and helped her down towards the docks where most of the townspeople had been forced to take shelter. The caravan driver was there; hugging the Goblin woman that must have been his wife. He saw her and Zenji and gave them a small nod before turning back to stroke his wife's back.

"Here, the flames are almost out. Just rest a bit while I summon us a portal"

"And Zenji" she reminded him like a child would remind a parent about some tedious task. His violet eyes narrowed as his snout pulled down in disgust, but he didn't argue, instead choosing to begin summoning arcane magic into his hands.

"**Here be ya bag, Draenei**" Zenji placed it softly beside her "**as per my payment**"

"**Thank you**" she patted it "**that was very nice of you**"

"**Trolls may have got a bad reputation wid da other races. But we always be keeping our promises**"

Marlo had summoned a portal to Stormwind, and as per a request by a few of the survivors he'd also opened a way to Booty Bay. Most of the Goblins had family or friends there. Now he was in the process of trying to make a portal to Orgrimmar but the exertion he was putting into it meant it would be the last one for a while. Finally a red hole in the air burst open and through the floating window the Orc capital could be seen.

He panted heavily, tongue hanging out and brow drenched in sweat "there. Be on your way Troll!" he barked, shoving the much larger male towards the portal.

"Fine…fine…be going I" Zenji shook him off with a grunt "smells…wet…dog…like…anyway"

He had vanished before Marlo had a chance to respond. Mythrii was stifling giggles, but she wasn't sure what she was laughing at. Her head felt light and her eyes were spinning. Her ears roared as if she was in the middle of a storm yet the waters below her were strangely silent.

"Hey" the Mage lifted her up and supported her with a large arm around her shoulder, using his free hand to take a hold of her bag he half carried her to Stormwind "maybe Larkspurr is around, eh?"

"Maybe" Mythrii felt the wooden docks change into cobblestone in a single step "you only like her because she smells like fresh herbs" he laughed.

She smelt the warm fresh air of Elywnn but at the same time there was an uneasy stillness all around her. Although the air was warm, it was still. And the waters of the rivers were untouched; she could not even sense a ripple within its depths. The earth seemed chocked, as if ill. And she could not sense any life within the lanterns hanging around the city.

"Marlo…"

"Hm?"

"Something is wrong" she breathed "the elements are mute. That is why I tired so easily when dousing the fires…the water was fighting me. It was in turmoil with itself and trying to escape my grasp…I must speak with Naraat!"

"No, no, no!" Marlo restrained the wriggling Draenei but her own tiredness is what defeated her "you need to rest! Nobundo can wait until you are strong enough to walk unassisted"

Mythrii groaned and half collapsed "fine…"

* * *

Rose: Shorter chapter this time. Next one I hope to make longer.

Review please!


	3. Chapter 3

Rose: Thanks for reviewing last time if you did. I'm glad you like this story and I hope you all continue to read.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

"So has Naraat spoken to ye much about all this? He ain't said a word te anyone as far as I can tell"

"No" Mythrii shook her head "all I know is from what I felt…the elements are in turmoil, they're not happy. But I doubt Naraat knows much more than we do" she paused for a moment "although I remember hearing from Larkspurr that Malfurion Stormrage left for Mount Hyjal just after the great quake and hasn't been heard from since. But what would Mount Hyjal have to do with the elements? Unless it's something to do with that tree the Elves have, maybe he talks to it?"

The black haired Dwarf sighed "no idea, lass. All I've managed to gather is something about an island. Mount Hyjal ye say? How queer"

The two Shamans; along with about twenty others, all Dwarves and Draenei, descended the ramps to the docks of Stormwind. At their head was Naraat the Earthspeaker, a Broken who led the Alliance Shamans from the Human Kingdom.

Turning her neck, the young Draenei spied the ruins of the Park, bricks still crumbling into the sea as smoke rose off the blackened towers. Why had that beastly dragon done such a thing? She knew some dragons were not friendly, but she'd never before seen or heard of one as large as the one that had destroyed the park and killed so many innocents.

Some, like her Night Elf friend Larkspurr had been spared. But she knew many others had not been so lucky. The park was where the Night Elves lived in Stormwind; it was a little piece of nature within the bustling city, almost as if it were made for them. With it gone, most of the city Elves had fled back across the seas to their birth land. But some had remained behind in an effort to heal the broken piece of the city.

"Spirits protect us…A'dal only knows what we'll see when we leave the safety of our ignorance" she whispered softly.

* * *

But the Shaman's were not the only ones down on the docks that day. Trolls from the Darkspear had travelled across the vast seas to seek help from the Alliance at the whim of their Chief. But as expected, they were not welcomed warmly.

Bwemba, a female Troll Shaman, stood on the bow of the small boat and tried once more in flawless common to communicate with the stubborn guards. Secretly she wished they would just submit, but she knew that if the roles were reversed and humans had come to Orgrimmar seeking aid they would never have gotten a word out. She should have considered herself lucky to be alive; they could have killed this small group at any point.

"Is dere no one we could speak to? Perhaps someone who may understand our plight betta?"

One of the Guards sighed and turned to the other, muttering something she could not hear. It was apparent that they had chosen to brush her and her comrades off rather than try to accommodate them.

"Leave Trolls" one of them ordered "you'll find no help here"

"But dis be affectin' us all! Ya ain't even tryin' ta help!"

"_Give it up, Bwemba_" a male Troll grunted from behind her "_dey ain't listenin', best ta go back home and help ourselves rather than wastin' time on dese humans_"

She waved her hand sharply "_be quiet, Jin'zek_"

The yellowed haired male snorted rudely and turned away, playing with the tip of his spear absentmindedly as he waited for something interesting to happen.

In the furthest right of the three small vessels, another trio of males were playing a hand game to pass the time between Bwemba's begging and the Human's curses. The middle one glanced up after a loss to catch movement from the corner of his eye, craning his head he saw a great group of Draenei and Dwarves making their way to the boat on the next dock over. They were chatting and laughing, though some looked thoughtful or grim.

At their head was a strange creature he'd never seen before, it looked rather like the Draenei but smaller, with different feet and overall shape. But there was no doubting a resemblance of some kind.

Just as his friend called him back for another game, his sharp vision honed in on a familiar form. Ignoring the pestering of his boat mates he narrowed his eyes and examined the person, making sure they really were that same person from weeks ago.

Shoulder length sandy-white hair that flipped over the head to leave half the face covered, large white eyes and thick, dark lips. Lavender skin with a darkened crest on the forehead.

He blinked for a moment…surely it wasn't her? Draenei all looked the same to most other races, just as he was sure most Trolls looked the same to anyone not a Troll themselves. But there was a nagging feeling that told him this truly was that same Draenei who'd made him his favoured trinket.

He licked his lips and watched as she walked past, conversing with a Dwarf female. Then he saw her extract something from the pocket of her dark pants and hand it to her friend.

It was a bracelet.

"Dat's my Draenei!" he yelled. Jumping up and pointing to her "dat's her! Da one dat made my trinket!"

"What Draenei?"

"Zenji has a Draenei?"

"How'd he get a Draenei?"

"You think he'd share?"

Zenji almost fell out of the boat in his excitement "she speaks Orcish! Bwemba, my Draenei speaks Orcish! Dey all do!"

The woman was staring at him from behind her mask, eyes calculating and calm. Zenji wasn't the kind of Troll to get excited like this over nothing, he was passionate no doubt. But this was something else…

"What be her name, Zenji?"

"It's-" he trailed off "shit…"

"Ya can't remember her name!" his friend in the boat cried "what's da point in callin' her out if ya can't remember her damn name?"

"Shuddup!" the Druid slapped him across the head "I'll get it in a sec…"

The group was getting further away now. If they got onto the boat they'd miss their chance. By now the other Trolls were urging him to remember her name faster in the hopes she'd be able to offer some help to their cause.

"**DRAENEI**!" he roared, cupping his mouth to increase the sound "**DRAENEI**!"

After a moment of silence from his comrades, the males began to do the same. Copying the word Zenji yelled even though some of them barely understood Common in the least.

* * *

"What on Earth…" Nira Ironbraid looked up from examining the bracelet given to her "Mythrii, have ye ever seen such a sight?"

"Hm?" the taller female looked back at her short friend and then over to the boats neither had noticed before "what in A'dal's name are they doing?"

"DRAENEI! DRAENEI! DRAENEI!"

The ebon haired Dwarf chuckled "ye think it's a Troll game of sorts?"

"I haven't a clue!"

By now others had stopped and crowded around to see what the fuss was about, the Trolls still screaming despite the Guards attempts to stop them.

"I have an idea" a young male Draenei stepped forward and puffed out his chest, the rest of the group waited tentively for him to do something "**TROLL! TROLL! TROLL!**" he screamed in Orcish.

"Mattic you idiot" a female Draenei sighed, rubbing her forehead even as everyone else, Dwarves and Draenei alike, began to mimic him.

* * *

"Da hell are dey doin'?"

"I don't know"

"Maybe it's a Human game, and dey've picked up on it"

"I tink they're teasin' our accents…"

Zenji huffed. His attempts to get her attention had worked…almost. She was looking this way but over the shouts of the Trolls and the yells of the Shamans' she wouldn't hear him addressing her in Orcish and it didn't appear as though she'd recognised him.

Bwemba stayed silent on her perch. The screaming match wasn't getting them anywhere and was irritating the guards further. Holding out her hand her Trolls fell silent immediately, as their voices died so too did the ones belonging to the other group "ya said she spoke Orcish?"

"Yeah"

"Den speak ta her. Be quick, I doubt we be tolerated here much longer"

* * *

"I believe that female is in charge…"

"I thought Trolls were Patriarchal?"

"Darkspear are different I heard"

"What're they saying? You lot speak Orcish right?"

"It's too quiet and she's too far away. We can't hear a thing"

* * *

"What's her name you fool?" Jin'zek snapped.

"It's…it's someting…she told me it came from a metal or something!"

"So we should go back to yellin'?" his boat mate inquired.

He shrugged "shout out every type of mineral you know!"

"**COPPER**!"

"**IRON**!"

"**ZINC**!"

"**JADE**!"

"I said minerals, not gems ya dirt brained monkey!"

* * *

"Now what're they doing?"

"Far be it from me te understand the minds of Trolls" Nira sighed "c'mon lads and lasses, Naraat be waiting for us on the ship no doubt"

"Yes…" Mattic nodded "we should end this odd game"

One by one the Shamans' turned away from the strange entertainment and hauled their bags to the docked boat next door. Upon seeing them leave the Trolls began to yell louder and more frantically.

"MITHRIL"

Mythrii stopped and thought for a moment. Had they just called her name?

* * *

"Dat's it…dat's da name!" Zenji whooped "quick, call it again!"

"**MITHRIL**!"

"**MITHRIL**!"

"**MITHRIL**!"

* * *

She looked over at them, glancing to the retreating backs of her comrades for a short second. Debating whether to continue on or to examine this strange group of Trolls that quite obviously wanted something.

"**We speak Orcish…in case you weren't aware**" she said informatively.

"**Oi, Draenei…**" one of the Trolls, a lanky, lavender skinned male with a white mane stood up and waved. She blinked glowing eyes at the rudeness and crossed her arms over her stomach.

"**Yes?**" her jaw clenched slightly.

"**Ya don't remember dis?**" she watched curiously as he took something off his tusk and held it up into the light. It was a string of dark gems, shining purple patterns across the wooden docks as the sun caught them turning "**ya made it fer me…in da Caravan ta Ratchet**"

Her eyes widened, that was her handiwork. There was no doubting it…then this; this was the Troll from all those weeks ago? She'd forgotten about him, the turmoil of the elements having consumed her every thought until this moment.

"Mythrii, come on lass. The ship wants te leave"

The Shaman dithered "just…just a moment, please" then she returned her attention to the Trolls "**you're the Troll? Zenji…was it?**"

"**She remembered YOUR name den?**" a yellowed haired Troll snorted.

Zenji growled "**I remember her name! It's Mithril!**"

"**Mythrii**" she corrected "**but you're close**"

"**HA!**"

"**SHUT UP JIN'ZEK!**"

"Mythrii!"

"**I'm sorry, but I really must be off. It was very nice seeing you again. I hope you're well, I wish your family good tidings**"

"**Wait, wait, wait! We need ya help! Ya don't tink we was yellin' like fools for nothin' do ya?**"

"**I…I…oh dear…does it have to be me?**"

"**Yeah**"

"**Oh bother…**" the Draenei bounced like a child in need of the bathroom "Nira…Nira I'm in a bit of a bind here"

"When are ye not, ye bloody fool" the ebon haired Dwarf sighed, long locks flying as she shook her head in disappointment "Naraat, Mythrii appears te need ye help"

The Broken sighed, and hobbled to the side of the boat to look over the edge at his student. She was down on the next dock over, with the Trolls.

"_Mythrii_" he called to her in Draenei "_finish your business…we must leave quickly to meet with our Earthen Ring Allies_"

"_I…they say they need my help. They say it must be me…_"

He sucked his tongue in thought. Jaw muscles popping and rotating at the motions. His large whiskers twitched in sync until he finally opened his mouth to speak once more "_then help them. We will meet again at a later moon_" turning around he returned to the Captain's side "we'll be off now"

"But Mythrii-" Nira started, only for the Elder to wave her silent.

"She has new business. Do not concern yourself with it when you have your own missions to be thinking of"

"Oh…wait! I must give her something; hold the boat just a few moments more"

Naraat sighed impatiently but allowed the Dwarf to run down to her friend.

"Mythrii, here take this with ye. I was gonna share it on the boat but I think ye need it more than me"

The blond took the leather wrapped package and brought it to her nose "is this…Roasted Moongraze Tenderloin? Oh Nira!"

"Be safe"

"You too"

* * *

Rose: That's it for this chapter, thanks for reading.

Review please!


	4. Chapter 4

Rose: Welcome to chapter four. Thanks for any reviews from last time and I hope you enjoy this one too.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

The boat sailed silently across the glassy surface of the coast alongside Westfall. It was a small vessel, the three Trolls were used to the tight seating positions but the Draenei passenger was feeling rather claustrophobic as she was being pressed into the back of the Troll in front of her and the chest of the Troll behind her.

Stormwind was still visible in she craned her neck around the huge shoulder her head was resting on. But only slightly. The evening fog was rolling in and the lights of the city were becoming dimmer, even for her sharp vision. Still, two of the Trolls paddled along, with the last keeping lookout on the shores and ocean for Alliance soldiers who might attack.

"You won't have to worry about soldiers in Westfall" Mythrii sighed in Orcish "the land has been left dead for a long time. And the few soldiers there are, are preoccupied with an uprising"

The Troll on the back of the boat grunted "is dat so?"

The one on the bow was smaller than the other two, leading the Draenei to believe he was younger than them. He certainly looked it, as his tusks were shorter and much thinner than theirs. He also didn't smell as bad.

"Excuse me" she inquired softly, catching the attention of the younger looking one "but I don't believe I got your name…or yours, for that matter" she said to the older one on the end.

The older one stared at her for a moment or two. Making her feel awkward and…dare she say it…naked. His eagle like eyes examining every visible inch of her form "Tajingo" he stated finally.

"We all call 'im Taj" the Druid behind her yawned and she struggled not to choke from his breath "annoys the shit outta him but we still do it. Da little, shy one is Dakui. Don't expect 'im to talk, he barely speaks ta his own mother half da time"

"I'm Mythrii" she introduced herself, more to Dakui than the other. He smiled weakly and turned back to face ahead.

"_Oi_" Taj tapped Zenji on the back of his shoulder. Resting the paddle on his lap he leant forward with a grin "_are you going to share your pet or am I spending the night in disappointment?_"

"_You aren't touching her!_" he stated shortly.

His green skinned friend snorted "_you always were a selfish kid. Never sharing your toys_"

"_You got a wife at home and two pups!_"

"_So? I'm not looking breed with your pet. Sides, what the wife doesn't know won't hurt her_"

"_I said no!_"

"_At least let me have a taste of her tits! Just look at them, Zenji, as good as any Troll girl!_"

"_I swear to the Loa, Taj, Bwemba said to keep her safe and if that means keeping her away from __**you **__then so be it!_"

"_Stingy bastard!"_

Mythrii looked out towards the endless sea. The sun was vanishing over the edges of the world. And out there somewhere her friends were trying to placate the Elements whilst she participated in some sort of pleasure cruise with three Darkspear Trolls.

It was easy to see who was doing the bigger duty.

She looked down and clutched the small mask charm hanging from her neck, given to her by the female Troll before she'd boarded the boat;

"_If ya ever find ya-self in trouble, and Zenji no be dere ta help. Just use dis, and I be dere to aid ya"_

It looked like a small tiki mask. With red streaks coming from the eyes, a white stripe on the forehead and two small animal bones carved into tusks protruding from its frowning mouth. It wasn't at all pretty, and she didn't like wearing it as it bounced on her stomach, the sharp tusks digging in sometimes.

"Best ta be keepin' dat on, pet" Taj said in a bored tone of voice "Bwemba wouldn't be givin' dat ta yer if she didn't tink ya be needin' it"

"So we're doing something very dangerous then?" she asked unsurely "I thought we were just looking for your friend"

"Ya tink dat be easy? We ain't heard from him since he left, and dere be dangerous tings in da jungle dat ya can not even imagine, pet"

The Shaman's eyes went wide and then darted to Zenji as he sighed loudly "don't be scaring her, ya brute"

"I only be tellin' her da truth. Gurubashi Trolls ain't someting ya wanna be takin' lightly"

"Gurubashi?" she parroted "is that another Tribe? I thought there was only Skullsplitter and…and Bloodscalp in Stranglethorn"

"Dey be a part of da Gurubashi. We was once part of dem too, da Darkspear" the white haired Troll behind her explained before his more direct friend could intervene "Gurubashi be one of da biggest Tribes of Trolls, da other being da Forest Amani"

"What about Zandalar? I met a Troll once who said he was from the Zandalar"

"We all be Zandalar. All Trolls come from Zandalar, dey was once enemies wid da Gurubashi. Years ago dey defeated dere jungle brutha's and banished a dangerous Loa dat threatened us all. But now da Zandalar be bringin' all da Tribes back into one, dey want dere land back and gonna kill anyone now livin' on what was once Troll territory. Now da Zandalar be forgettin' about da fights years ago, instead dey be lettin' da Gurubashi sacrifice to da Blood God"

She was shaking, whether from fright or from cold she didn't know. Zenji felt it and petted her head softly "are we going to be fighting the Trolls?"

"No, we not supposed ta…but if we happen ta see one it gonna be kill or be killed. Can't have dem knowin' we wanderin' about in da jungles"

"I-I see. So hopefully we won't see any?"

"Hopefully"

"Thank the light…" she whispered. It wasn't the idea of meeting any Trolls that scared her…it was the thought of meeting a particular one that sent the pit of cold in her stomach twisting.

* * *

They moored the boat on the isle where the abandoned light house stood crumbling. It was late into the night and the sky was cold and misty, Mythrii rubbed her arms to warm herself and heard the sand shift as someone came up behind her.

"Ya cold, pet? Come sleep with Tajingo, he keep ya warm" the blue haired Troll smirked down at the small, shivering female who couldn't seem to find her voice. His hand brushed over her waist "ya scared, pet?"

"N-no…but I really think I should be…somewhere else…now…" she backed away from him quickly and scuttled to the campfire that Dakui had started, still shaking uncontrollable.

"_Your pet seems like she's a lot of fun_" he called to Zenji who was out in the water fishing "_how is she anyway, any good?_"

"_Like I'd tell you!_"

"_Puh…I could have her if I wanted her, you know_"

"_Not whilst Dakui and I are around_"

"_If I beat you up, your belongings become mine. Shall I do that?_"

"_Explain it to your wife_"

Taj flinched at the mention of his home woman "_you could have her back when I finished_"

"_I don't share women_" the Druid trudged back up onto the shore with six fish in his hands; he made a beeline to the Warrior and grabbed one of the short tusks that stuck out from the sides of his mouth "_I'm warning you, Taj. She's my Draenei, you want to taste one then get your own but leave mine be!_" his friend stared at him for a silent moment before sighing.

"_Fine. You're no fun, Zenji_" he shoved him off and stalked away to the other side of the isle in a huff. The white haired male took his fish to the fire, handing them to the young green haired boy to be prepared.

"Is everything alright?" amber eyes glanced over to the Shaman "your friend, where did he go?"

"Scoutin'" he grunted shortly "just ignore his teasin', pet. He don't mean no harm"

She nodded unsurely and went back to playing with her tiki necklace. Carefully tracing the markings and fiddling with the bone tusks.

The Draenei was uncomfortable around them. But back in the Barrens with him she had been very open and talkative, blabbering on about everything and anything and even making him his trinket. Why then was she acting like a completely different person this time?

"Ya feelin' okay, pet?" he asked her. She jumped and smiled weakly.

"Yes. Just…nervous about going to the Vale. I-I haven't been there in a very long time, and the last time I was there I didn't have a very good time"

The Druid chuckled "ya should try Booty Bay…plenty of good times ta be had down dere" she flushed violet which made him laugh harder "I forget, pet, Draenei not be da type ta sample dem types of tings" her cheeks bled darker still and Zenji slapped his thighs, bellowing with laughter.

"S-so…Stranglethorn" she stuttered "have you been there before?"

"Long time ago when I was still a pup. Ain't been dere since but I know ma way around da Jungle, it's in ma blood after all"

"Oh, yes, of course!" she babbled in embarrassment and laughed nervously.

He snorted and muttered something in Zandali which caused Dakui to glance at him. The fish was cooked and the young, green haired male held the first one out to her. She tried to refuse it but he shoved it into her lap and darted away bashfully.

Her black swashbuckler's shirt exposed her stomach, and the Draenei struggled to grab the hot piece of food before it burn the sensitive skin. She got it just in time although some of the fish's natural oil dripped onto her pants; luckily they were black and wouldn't show it.

"He gave ya da first piece 'cause ya wouldn't be gettin' any otherwise. Trolls be havin' a mighty appetite"

"T-thank you" she smiled shyly, nibbling on the fish and staring down at the fire.

Maybe some Trolls weren't as bad as everyone says.

* * *

Rose: Thanks for reading, hope you liked it.

Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

Rose: Welcome back to another chapter of Wrong Side! I do hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

The last time she had been in Stranglethorn Vale terrible things had happened that had sent a lasting fear through her. She'd never wanted to step in the jungles of that place again…

Yet, here she was; sitting in a boat currently being dragged up onto one of the many beaches that lined the land. With a shuddering sigh, she stood up and stared at the white sand nervously.

"What's da matter?" Zenji asked her when she hadn't moved for a few minutes. Taj glanced over his shoulder from where he was keeping a look out on the border of the trees.

"If she don't move her ass den just carry her! We gotta be leavin', too many strange Trolls gonna draw attention we don't be needin'!"

Mythrii took a deep breath and smiled nervously "I'm fine" she said, surprising herself when her voice didn't stutter, and confidently stepped out of the small boat onto the soft, warm sand. She braced herself, expecting the Earth to swallow her up or for an army to emerge unseen from the foliage but there was nothing.

"Good" the blue haired Troll backed away from the trees, his spear at the ready just in case "Dakui and I best be off. We don't wanna be hangin' around, dere be spies everywhere in dis place" he looked down at her and roughly petted her head, his fingers folding around her short, vertical horns "be safe, den, little pet. Be a shame if anyting be happenin' ta ya" Taj winked at Zenji but Mythrii didn't catch it, too busy trying to fix her hair after his assault.

Dakui came up and threw his long arms around her much smaller form; the Shaman squeaked in shock and only just managed to rub his back before he pulled away "goodbye" she waved to the two males shyly as they pushed the boat back out and climbed back in to paddle away.

"What about me?" her companion cried indignantly "no goodbyes fer me, ya bastards!"

Dakui laughed and yelled something in Zandali. Taj grinned "don't die! Ya still be owin' me money!"

"Fuckin'…" Zenji shook his fist at them but he was smiling even so "come on, pet. We should get moving"

The boat was already paddling away but they weren't out of sight just yet. Mythrii was used to bidding people farewell until they vanished but she followed the Druid into the thick trees.

"I need a place to change…" she told him "these are casual clothes"

"Why didn't ya change dis mornin' before we left da isle?"

"Because Taj wouldn't leave me alone…" she replied innocently, the lavender skinned Troll grunted something about idiots and looked back at her.

"Fine" he stopped "change den, I won't look"

She gasped "what? In-front of you? **Here**?" he ran a hand through his hair, pulling some of it from its braid.

"Alright, I be findin' ya a place ta change. But we gotta get away from da beach first. We left tracks and it be a while before da sea washes dem away" the Draenei nodded, and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. Zenji caught the movement "what ya got in dat bag, den?"

"Not much, my gear and some food mostly. Didn't you bring anything?"

"I already be wearin' my gear and I don't need ta carry food when I can be huntin' it"

"Oh" Mythrii felt silly next to this large Troll. She could barely survive out in the empty Barrens for a few days by herself, she didn't know how to hunt and if she'd lost her food she'd be done for.

The Druid pushed some thick leaves out of the way and looked around "alright, dis be lookin like a good spot. Ya can change in here" it was a small circle of young trees that had fanned their leaves out to try and catch the sun from their poor placement of growth. Zenji held the leaves for her until she had stepped inside and then he turned his back to keep watch "don't be takin' hours now. Da Trolls ain't gonna care if ya smell nice or yer wearin' make-up"

"I don't wear make-up"

"Den why is yer mouth so dark?"

"I get it from my mother, it's a natural trait some Draenei have"

"Huh…" he crouched down and exhaled through his teeth. Behind him he heard the Draenei shuffling out of her current attire and the sound of chain mail chinking followed soon after.

He debated taking a small peek but decided against it. He didn't believe she would catch him but on the off chance she did she'd scream the jungle down with her stuck up morals.

Having to change behind some leaves…such a time waster she was.

"Zenji…" he heard her whimper.

"What, pet?"

"There...there's a…"

"What?" he stood up and pushed himself into her changing area, probably just a snake or a rat and she was getting herself all worked up over it, damn woman! He ignored her as he spied through the gaps of the leaves on the opposite side to try and see whatever it was that had caught her attention.

Something was moving through the jungle just a few feet away, not slithering like a snake or scurrying like a rat. The Footsteps heavy and steady and as the Druid listened closely for a moment he matched the sounds to that of a large raptor. Someone was riding this way.

"Is-"

"Hush!" he grabbed her head in his huge hand, covering her mouth and dragging her to the ground where they would be less noticeable. His sharp, amber eyes found another gap to look through.

The Draenei was wriggling in his hold like a rabbit trapped in a snare; he'd covered her mouth and nose and she couldn't breathe but it was better for her to black out than draw the rider to them.

Her hands were clutching at her Mail top, she'd only had enough time to pull it on before she'd heard voices out in trees and alerted Zenji. It wasn't strapped into place and she wasn't in any position to try and do just that.

Zenji inhaled sharply. The raptor was right next to them, so close he could smell it.

It had blood red scales with green stripes and wore green leather armour across its legs, back and head. Peering up Zenji thought he might get a look at the rider and possibly get the advantage of surprise if it looked like they would be caught.

It was a blue skinned Troll, much bigger than himself, with a huge fin of blood red hair. His face was hidden behind a Loa mask, giving the impression of the figure having a great snarling mouth and glowing eyes.

"Ya smell 'em Oghan'aka?" the Troll directed his question to his mount, the raptor snorted heavily and made to keep moving but her master pulled her back "dey around here somewhere, girl. Sniff 'em out!"

The Draenei fell limb against his side and the Druid finally released her nose to let her breathe. Her chest rose and fell heavily but she made no sound otherwise, her nails dig into his thick skin as he still held her chin, and what noise she did make was covered as the raptor began to move through the trees again, this time at the allowance of her master.

Mythrii felt as though time had stood still. Barely an hour into the jungle and already they were hiding from a deadly Troll.

"Aka?" she whispered, suddenly coming to life again "he said Aka!"

Zenji turned to her angrily "shut yer mouth!" he ordered.

She didn't "that-"

"Quiet!" he snarled before taking another look "dey gone. Finish changin', we gotta get movin'"

He backed out again and once again found himself in the position of listening to her strip, her bag was shifted and the mail clinked musically. When the noises stopped though, he waited a moment before risking a quick glance behind him to see what the problem was, but the tiny clearing was empty save for her bag now packed neatly with her old clothes.

The Troll swore to himself, the stupid woman! Where had she gone?

* * *

Mythrii's paws made no sound as she skulked through the thick trees, following after the deep raptor marks left in the loose earth. She herself left no prints of her own; her spiritual form meant she was nearly undetectable to everyone and everything besides those with great awareness of the unseen things around them.

That Troll had called the raptor 'Aka' and there was only a single red raptor with that name she believed would be living here. She hadn't seen the rider and she'd only vaguely heard his voice but there was no doubt in her mind to just whom she was tailing.

It was dangerous and stupid, she knew this but if Aka was involved she'd risk it all.

Up ahead she could smell fresh water and as she slid out from under the thick bush she spotted the red raptor tied to a dead log, her snout just out of reach of the glistening stream beside her. Further down the blue skinned humanoid was squatting and washing his face and neck with his terrifying mask at his feet.

Shifting out of her wolf form, the Draenei carefully stepped over towards the huge beast "Aka…" she whispered. The dinosaur twitched her head and glanced back, teeth bared and eyes narrowed "Aka…it's me, Mythrii. You're Mythrii's'aka"

Aka growled, salvia dripping from her maw as she parted her jaw to bite; suddenly she snapped it shut as the Troll barked something about her to be quiet. But her eyes were still laced with uncertainty.

"Aka" the Shaman pleaded, eyes darting to the Troll and then back to the raptor "Aka"

Her narrowed, lizard like eyes began to fill out as she finally took a good look at the creature in front of her. The raptor crooned and lowered her head in an apologetic manner before pressing her nose into Mythrii's chest affectionately.

"Shhh…come, come" long, lilac fingers worked frantically on the reins tied to the log, the first knot came undone and the second began to fall apart with ease seconds later.

"Draenei!" an angry hiss came from behind and she froze "get over here. Now!"

Glanced over her shoulder from her crouched position she spotted a grey skinned tiger with reddish stripes half hidden in the bushes she'd previously been in. His white mane stood out in sharp contrast to the green and brown around him but she could see on his feline face the look of pure anger he was giving her.

"I have to get Aka!" she argued.

"Get yer ass over here you stupid bitch!"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!"

"I'll talk to ya however I want when yer actin' like a brain dead monkey!"

"Shush! You're going to get me caught!"

"Yer gonna get yerself caught!"

"Be quiet!"

"Don't order me around. I'm in charge here!"

"Says who?"

"Says da only one who knows how to survive in a damn jungle!"

Unbeknownst to either of them the large Troll had finished his cooling off in the stream and was making his way back over to his mount. Mythrii was still not done with the reins, having been too preoccupied with Zenji's distraction to pull the knot and lead the raptor away.

Zenji saw him first, his sharp eyes catching the movement when the Troll got close and he slinked back to vanish into the shadows of the growth. Mythrii blinked in confusion as he'd been half way through insulting her when he'd left. She realised too late the reason for his quick exit when a shadow fell over her.

"Ya know what I do ta thieves, little one?"

Her blood ran cold and she swallowed thickly, her back was still to him so she hoped he couldn't see how scared she was "you probably do something awful…like cut off their hands…followed by their feet and then you probably gut them before sacrificing them to one of your terrible Gods…"

She flinched when he chuckled "no…I don't do dat. But ya be givin' me good ideas, Draenei" he was casually fixing his mask into place and sighed "stand up den; it ain't no fun killin' tings when dey just sit dere"

"I'd prefer to stay here" the Shaman replied weakly.

"I said stand up"

"Why are all Trolls so rude?" she cried without thinking "all you do is order me around and call me dumb!"

"Maybe it's because ya be stealin' dere raptors, eh?"

"This is my raptor!"

"Really? Cause dem looks like my reins on her neck" the cool metal of his sword touched the back of her neck, causing the tiny hairs to rise.

"I found her…I hatched her!"

The blade had been pressing in, barely breaking the skin, but now it paused "stand up, Draenei" his voice had changed, before it had been sadistically playful but now it was stern like a parent ordering a child.

Reluctantly, Mythrii pushed herself to her feet and turned around robotically "you stole her" she scowled, risking a look up at him for the first time but the sight of his mask made her shriek and she backed away, almost tripping over the dead log and falling against another tree "oh dear…oh by the Light"

"I remember who you be" he laughed loudly "da little Draenei from all dem years ago…ya haven't changed a bit, still as idiotic and pathetic as ever! Are all ya kind dis moronic or was I just lucky?"

"I'll have you know my people are very intelligent!"

"So it's da second one den?" his large sword rose up again and the woman squeaked "ah…I said I be owing ya fer what ya did fer me, but den again…ya was stealin' Aka here"

"She's mine!"

His fan of red hair bounced as he rocked his head "maybe we be sharin' her, ya wanna ride, Draenei?"

"I want Aka away from you! You're nothing but a monster and you're going to ruin her!"

"I gonna make her as good as her daddy!" with his mask she couldn't see the expressions on his face, she hated it and appreciated it at the same time "I knew ya would come fer her, I saw it in ya eyes when I left last time. I told ya I'd know if ya came back, dere be spies in dis jungle, Draenei, I knew da moment ya stepped foot on dis land. Ya may tink ya safe cause ya got some other Troll wid ya but he ain't no Jungle Troll, da Gurubashi be Jungle Trolls!"

Her lip quivered "I'll leave…"

"Too late fer dat, Draenei. Yer back now" his head bobbed up and down quickly "if I'd have known ya had a taste fer Trolls I would'a paid ya back all dem years ago"

"I do not have a taste for Trolls you vulgar beast!"

He bent down and sniffed loudly "could'a fooled me. Ya reek of dem but I don't care, da Darkspear ain't usually da type ta share a female but Gurubashi be doin' it just fine. Lucky fer ya though, I ain't da type ta share my tings either" the sword dug into the wood on her left side, effectively blocking her only escape route "ya should'a been faster wid dem reins, Draenei. Ya knew da price of comin' back and now yer gonna pay it"

* * *

Rose: As you can see this links into the storyline of Northern Stranglethorn from the low level quests. I feel cruel leaving it there but it was getting a little long so now you're stuck with a cliff hanger!

Review please!


	6. Chapter 6

Rose: Thanks for coming back to another chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

"Get down!"

Mythrii didn't have time to react as something heavy barged into her side, knocking her away from the Bloodlord and into the water.

Zenji leapt up at the Gurubashi, claws swiping wildly at his masked face as he roared. Mandokir stumbled backwards, throwing the Druid off him as he tripped and slammed into the ground with a pained grunt.

The Darkspear turned, paws turning to three fingered hands as he grabbed the woman and threw her over his shoulder before running back into the thick jungle. As he sprinted he lowered himself down, arms shifting to brown furred legs and hooves pounding the earth heavily, the Shaman grappled to hold onto his back as she began to slide off.

He made a point to run past the clearing where she had changed into her gear, dropping his head, Zenji hooked the strap of the bag onto his antler and threw it back so it was around his neck.

"What about Aka?"

"I don't give a damn shit about dat fuckin' raptor!" he bit angrily. She winced and sank her teeth into her bottom lip, pressing her forehead between his shoulders as he continued to gallop north, they had a good lead and the Troll didn't know which way they'd run, by the time he'd righted himself and mounted they'd be long gone.

* * *

The fire crackled loudly, throwing sparks out into the air violently. Mythrii's moon glow eyes watched each ember float above her before burning out.

They had stopped running a couple hours after fleeing the terrible Gurubashi; Zenji had found a small cave close to the ruins where the Bloodscalp Tribe lived and it was in there they'd taken shelter, it had only been late afternoon when they'd settled but now it was evening and neither had moved an inch, nor had they spoken.

With a bubble of courage, the Draenei opened her mouth "I-"

"Shut up!" the white haired male hissed instantly "ya don't get ta talk no more!"

"Seems rather harsh…"

"Oh yeah? When ya talk, shit happens!"

"Once!"

"Yeah…and it almost got ya killed! Stealin' a damn raptor…was ya dropped on ya head as a babe?"

"It's my raptor!" she argued weakly "I found her as an egg and hatched her, he stole her!"

Zenji curled his lips back, baring his sharp teeth in a threatening display "I don't care! Ya know who dat was? Dat was da fuckin' Bloodlord, he's supposed ta be fuckin' dead! I thought he was dead! No one told me da damn Bloodlord was walkin' around da jungle like it was a bloody park!"

"I know exactly who it was!" Mythrii cried.

"I thought Draenei were supposed ta be smart, yer de exception den are ya? If ya knew what he was capable of ya would have never chased him in da first place!"

She clenched her fists in her lap and set her jaw "stop calling me stupid"

"I wouldn't have ta call ya stupid if ya wasn't stupid!"

"Stop it!"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Mythrii lowered her head so her chin was pressed to her chest, her platinum hair falling down over her face but he still saw the tears dribble down her cheeks though she was trying hard not to let them fall "what ya cryin' bout?" she shrugged and sniffed "pet, tell me what ya cryin' bout?"

The Draenei sobbed quietly "you. I thought you were nice but all you do is insult me and order me around…"

The lavender skinned male scoffed and leant back against the cave wall with his arms crossed "I am nice, ya bloody fool. I'm da damn nicest Troll yer ever gonna meet!"

"That's debateable"

"How many Trolls ya met, I mean **really **met? How many ya talk to outside of yer Earthen Ring?"

"Ghaliri" she replied, her voice slightly watery from crying. Her eyes were bloodshot behind the glow but he noticed the veins were blue rather than red "he's a Zandalar and he's down at Fort Livingston. He's friendly!"

Zenji frowned and huffed "Zandalar? Zandalar be da ones causin' all dis shit! Zandalar be da reason we here! He probably up in Zul'Gurub right now; drinkin' down da blood and fuckin' all da women as dey laugh ta Hakkar bout how dey gonna take back all da land!"

"Why are you being so hurtful?"

"Cause I'm mad!" he bellowed "ya almost got killed today! What if my pounce hadn't of worked, eh? Den we both would'a been killed and den dere's nobody ta warn everyone! Da Gurubashi just be walkin' in and killin' dem all den dere's no Stranglethorn for nobody else! And what about Booty Bay? All dem people dere just be easy pickin's for dat army and Hakkar gonna be havin' more blood den he know what ta do wid and it be all yer fault!"

"SHUT UP!" Mythrii screamed, slamming her fists into the ground by the fire and causing the earth to tremble as her control wavered, he jumped back in shock having expected her to whimper and cower not shout and fight back. Her legs pulled up so she could press her eyes to her knees and he heard her sobbing.

The Druid relaxed his face as he stayed his anger; he'd gone too far…it wouldn't be her fault, not really. One person couldn't cause something of that magnitude, especially not by accident.

"I'm sorry, pet. I didn't mean ta upset ya…I'm just mad, is all. And scared…if da Bloodlord Mandokir be walkin' around, den what else is hidin' up dere in dat city? What's more, dey all gonna know we here now"

The woman raised her head and hiccupped "h-he already did. He was looking for us and there are eyes all over this jungle. They'll know our every move before we do"

The male groaned, rubbing his thick fingers over the curve of his long tusks "we best be careful. We gonna start up at da top and work our way down, dat Refuge Camp be on da border of Stranglethorn, if da Gurubashi get dere hands on it dey got a good foothold. We warn dem first, make sure dey alright and den we gonna go down to da Hunters in dat little camp by river…I tink a Horde settlement be next…"

"What happens when we reach the Fort? That's the furthest point before entering the Vale"

"Hopefully we'd have met wid da emissary by den and he be able ta tell us what ta do next, I ain't sure if we gotta go down into da Vale or not"

Mythrii nodded "what if we don't find him?"

"Den we use dat trinket Bwemba gave ya ta contact her spirit, she tell us"

* * *

"I never learned to ride anything smaller than an Elekk"

"Really?"

"Well…I had a Talbuk back in Nagrand but that was a long time ago…"

"It's easy, just hold on wid yer thighs around me back and keep a hold of me scruff. I ain't gonna let ya fall"

"My thighs…"

"What else ya gonna use?"

"Couldn't we just walk? I could shift into my Spirit form and run along side you"

"It ain't fast enough"

The huge brown stag was bowed down in front of the blushing Draenei, impatiently waiting for her to climb up onto his back so they could begin moving. Zenji had realised in the night that the two of them would need to keep up a fast pace in order to stay ahead of the jungle eyes that lurked around them and with no mounts this was the next best thing.

Carefully, Mythrii lifted herself up onto his wide form and shifted into the curve of his spine where it was most comfortable "I'm not too heavy am I?" she asked bashfully.

"Nah, yer as light as a feather, pet"

He looked back and grinned, the small, outwardly pointed tusks pulling his lips awkwardly. She had seen other Druids in stag forms but never one with tusks like Zenji had, his cat form had tusks too…it was most interesting. Thaalia would probably love to study it; maybe the Druid would let her when they reached the Fort?

Her bag was around his neck like the previous night as he didn't trust her to hold onto both it and him "it won't hurt will it, holding you here?" her fingers twisted into the longer fur between his shoulders, he bit his lip, eyes rolling slightly as shivers ran down his back at the sensation.

Coughing to cover it up, he shook his head "it's fine. I don't even feel it" the gem trinket on his left tusk swung wildly as he moved; beginning his trek trough the trees towards the road with hooves picking daintily over long roots and snake holes "Zenji go slow fer ya, pet, at first at least. But we gotta be movin' fast eventually"

"Yes…"

"Ya did fine yesterday when I was runnin' wid ya"

"I wasn't really thinking about it then" the Shaman mumbled shyly, catching herself as she began to slide to the side.

He felt the movement "hold on tighter"

"With my legs…?"

The Troll laughed "what ya got against wrappin' yer legs around me, eh?" he heard her squeak and his ear twitched as he grinned devilishly.

"Don't say it like that, please" Mythrii muttered, clenching her fingers into his fur and making him shudder again.

"Like what?" he teased, glancing back he saw her frowning "ah, pet…dere ain't nothin' wrong wid yer legs around ma waist"

"Zenji!"

"Yer da one makin' a big deal bout it, pet"

"Only because you keep saying it like that…"

The Troll laughed loudly "ya Draenei be too stuck up, learn ta take a joke as it comes"

"We are not 'stuck up' we are refined and polite!"

"Den yer wid da wrong company ain't ya?"

She huffed and sank her teeth into her tongue to bite back a remark that she was sure he would twist somehow "are all Trolls like you, rude and uncouth?"

"I don't tink that's a fair statement ta make. We just ain't da type ta hold back anyting unlike you and da rest of yer stuck up friends over in Stormwind…we like ta let tings come as dey are in da Darkspear, if dat makes us rude and uncouth den maybe dat's what we wanna be, eh?"

The Shaman pulled her lips down in thought "and if I don't want to be the butt of your jokes then maybe that's just what I want to be, hm?"

"Maybe…problem is, ya can't stop me if I'm in da mood fer teasin' now, can ya? And I'll tell ya, pet, da ladies love it when I tease"

Her face turned indigo and she spluttered in humiliation, the Druid barked another laugh at her expense "ugh…!"

"I kid, I kid…well, mostly" the male smirked at her and watched her cheeks darken some more "best be growing a thick skin dere, pet, if ya can't take my little jokes den yer gonna be lookin' like a blueberry fit ta burst when we finally start takin' ta da Horde bases. Zenji be tame compared ta what some of dem be sayin' ta ya"

"If you talking of Orcs I'm fully capable of handling them myself" the woman replied confidently.

"Oh, are ya?"

"Yes! You don't believe me?"

"Not really, no, pet. I find it hard ta believe a little ting like you could ever hold off a great Orc if he was in da mood fer Draenei"

"In the mood…wait…we're not talking about the same thing here. I'm talking about if they start insulting me; you're saying they'll attack me?"

"Dat's one way ta put it…not many Orcs alive nowadays dat tasted Draenei back when yer races was warring. I hear it all da time in Orgrimmar, da old ones tellin' da young ones 'bout how nice ya taste, how good ya skin feels, how tight ya asses are-"

"By A'dal they do what?" she shrieked in outrage "those demon-blooded brutes, talking of my people like we're nothing but playthings!"

Zenji widened his amber eyes "ah…ya didn't know dat? Should'a just kept ma mouth shut, I thought wid da way yer people hate Orcs ya would'a known 'bout dere…feelin's…" Mythrii scowled at him "don't go makin' dat face at me, pet. Zenji ain't da one ta blame" her beacon like eyes were honing in on him and even when he turned his head he could feel them on his neck "what?" he asked finally.

She looked away, up towards the canopy where the birds were flying; a rainbow of feathers blocking the small holes of light so the ground flashed as the parrots flew along their way "what would you propose then? Since you seem to think I wouldn't be able to hold my own against an Orc"

The Troll licked the corner of his mouth but she didn't see "what would old Zenji propose? Oh well now…I don't tink ya would be likin' my ideas…"

"Oh really?" she scoffed.

"Yeah…see, da only way ya would get any of da Orcs, Goblins or Trolls or maybe even Blood Elves, though they got sticks so far up dere asses I don't tink dey'd try it ta be honest, would be if ya was already belonging ta someone a part of dere allied races. Dey ain't gonna touch another man's woman, not 'less he lets dem of course"

"Belonging to someone a part of their allied races?"

"Right"

Mythrii waved her hand, sliding slightly as she did so but catching herself in time "you're making this up, there's no way!"

"Nope. See, yer Stormwind people be too up dere own backsides ta even tink of just takin' a woman. Yer gotta be all flowers and trinkets cause fer some reason ya tink it matters; now, Horde women, dey don't care bout all dat silly stuff…cept Blood Elves and maybe Forsaken cause dey used ta be human…and maybe Tauren…dey care what a man has, what he got dat gonna keep her happy!"

"Flowers and trinkets are not silly, they're romantic!"

"Dey be time wasters!"

She kicked him in the sides lightly "so what makes a Troll woman happy then?" he snorted and began to trot, feeling her clench onto him and grinning in revenge.

"Lots of land fer da pups, plenty of food, a fighin' spirit ta keep other men away and, of course, a winnin' act in da sack"

"That's rather…simplistic"

"Dat's ma point! Ya make it too complicated wid all yer trimmin's, women don't want candles in da bedroom or fancy clothes, dey just get in da way of da fuckin'!"

"You're being crude. And besides, I can't believe **you **speak for all Troll women considering you're a male!"

"I been wid enough women ta know what dey want, trust me pet"

"I don't think I will in this case. I think if you asked a woman what she wanted she'd tell you a very different story, I can't believe that all a Troll woman wants is…land and sex!"

"And food and a strong mate. Let me tell ya, pet, Darkspear didn't use ta be da type ta only have one woman, we used ta be like other Trolls and da more wives ya had da more power ya had cause ya could hand em out ta people bigger or stronger den ya was, or ya could fight em off and take dere women so ya had ta be strong. Now we all gotta be monogamous, dere's no more drinkin' blood or eatin' each other-"

"Excuse me?"

"-now we be 'civilised' and Zenji admits dere be some ting's he likes about it. But layin' wid da same woman each night? Now dat's just madness; where's da fun in a woman wid da same old tricks, eh?"

"So I take it you've never been married?" the blond asked before pulling a face "wait…do Trolls marry?"

"Course we do ya nitwit!" he snapped "and ta answer ya question…why'd ya care if Old Zenji got a wife, hm?"

"I don't, but considering your point of view I find it hard to believe you've been married…unless it was back when Trolls could marry more than one woman, you're not that old are you?"

He bucked her lightly, enjoying hearing her squeal "now who's bein' rude? I don't look dat old do I?"

"I'm not an expert on Trolls…though I do know someone who is. But to answer **your **question, you don't have any of the signs I'd assume one would have if they were old, wrinkles and such…although you already have naturally white hair, if it were yellow or something it'd be much easier to see"

"Bah…ya bloody cocky ting. So, since yer so interested in judgin' da way Trolls do tings; what makes Draenei so special?"

"How'd you mean?"

They were on the road now and it was a much smoother ride for Mythrii as he wasn't bouncing around over roots and holes "how da Draenei do it? Marry or whatever, I suppose bein' all stuck up ya don't realise ya married till da kids come along, right?" he sniggered to himself.

"Actually…if you must know…we have a special ceremony that only takes place once every three years, a single year on Draenor due to the time difference, where unmarried Draenei meet together under the light of a Naaru and find their life partner"

"Wait…ya mean ya just marry someone ya only just met? And ya thought my way was stupid"

"I never said that! And it's more complicated than just meeting someone…sometimes you've known the person a long time or sometimes you've just met them, sometimes it's arranged between families but mostly it's not, especially now. Look, it's hard to explain it to someone not familiar with the Naaru but…I'll try; they connect us all, through the Light all Draenei are one even if they aren't Priests. And through the Light we learn about one another as we become life partners due to the gifts given to us by A'dal"

"So it's magic"

"It's not magic"

"It sounds like magic"

"It's not magic!"

"If it sounds like magic den it's probably magic"

"It's not…arg!"

* * *

Rose: That's it for chapter six, I hope you liked it.

Review please!


	7. Chapter 7

Rose: Thanks for reviewing if you did so; I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

Mythrii felt anxious as she and Zenji approached the Rebel Camp, not for him though, but for herself. It had been a long time since she'd been here and already she could see that the faces hadn't changed in all those years.

Lieutenant Doren spotted her as they rode up the small hill and with an intrigued expression he began forwards, meeting them just beside the Flight Master who was also grinning with familiarity "hello Lieutenant" she greeted shyly "so you remember me?"

"Ah…it's very hard to forget you" he replied sternly and the woman flushed "who's your friend?"

Climbing down from the Druid's back, the Draenei quickly placed herself in front of him attempting to look brave even as her legs went weak "please don't be alarmed…he's a Troll" Doren stiffened, as did the two soldiers on watch duty close by "he's like me though…affiliated with the Horde but not actually a part of it. He doesn't mean any harm"

"What's going on?" the dark haired human asked "is this to do with what happened when you were last here?"

"Yes…sort of but not really…you see; it's something to do with the Troll Tribes declaring war to get their old land back and a Blood God in Zul'Gurub-"

"The ruins?"

"Yes…there are Trolls in there preparing for war and Zenji, the Druid, and I have been sent to warn everyone about an oncoming attack. This area is especially important as it gives the Trolls a good…a good…what was it Zenji?" he muttered in Orcish to her "ah yes, a good 'foothold' so we can't let them take this camp!"

Doren frowned "is there any word on when this attack might come?"

"No…I'm sorry Lieutenant; the best we can do is just warn you to keep on your guard…I know it seems useless but I don't know what else to say"

"There's no such thing as useless information, Mythrii. We'll be on our guard and I can have word sent to the King immediately" the brown stag beside the woman snorted but Doren didn't notice "where are you headed to next?"

"The Hunting Camp…just south of here"

"Excellent, tell them if they wish to join forces to bolster our odds then we're waiting with our arms wide open, numbers can only assist in a situation where our enemy knows the land better than we do" the old man sighed and turned towards the younger brown haired man behind him "James, your fastest Griffin in five minutes!"

"Yes Sir!" the goggled man saluted and turned to one of his beasts.

Doren looked back at Mythrii "you're welcome to rest here for a short while but I suppose you'll want to get on your way. If there's no knowledge of the attack you'll want to keep moving to make sure you've warned as many people as you can"

"Yes…thank you, Lieutenant" the short horned haired female smiled gratefully "may the Light bless you"

"And you…Light…blessing…" he muttered, Doren wasn't a follower of the Human Church of Light and found Mythrii's prayer uncomfortable and embarrassing.

Zenji butted the woman in the back lightly "**how'd ya know dese people?**"

"**I stayed here for a short while a few years ago…**" she responded softly just before her bright eyes caught the sight of someone waving to her "**we'll leave in a moment, I see someone I must speak to**"

"**Don't take forever**" the Darkspear ordered.

"Ah, Mythrii" the white haired Gnome looked up at her tall form as she came closer, blinking through his red lenses "I never thought I'd see you back here"

"Neither did I, Osborn" the woman mumbled and tapped her lip nervously with her fingers "I…there's been no trouble, has there?"

"Concerning the Bloodlord, you mean?" she nodded "no, nothing. What about you? I thought he said if you ever came back he'd do worse than kill you; all over that silly little raptor"

"Yes..."

"You've had no trouble yourself then?"

Swallowing thickly the Draenei smiled widely "nope" she lied, a great weight resting in her belly as she did so "I daresay we've been lucky, perhaps it's because I have my own Troll with me?"

"I hope your luck holds out. If only we could go back in time…I would have never told you all I knew about the Trolls!"

"There would have been no need. If I knew then what I know now I would have never touched that monster's skull…" Osborn nodded sadly just as Zenji pounded the ground with his hoof and barked something in Orcish "such an impatient brute!" Mythrii scowled to him, he response with another order in the rough language "but I must be leaving, the Hunting Camp is only a couple hours away but that's still far too long. Please be safe, Osborn"

"I'm not the one you should be worried about, there's no telling what will happen if you run into that Bloodlord out there"

"Goodbye" she waved to her small friend and trotted back to the Troll, climbing up on his back and wobbling as he turned to leave "be safe!" she shouted to the rest of the camp, they waved and bid her farewells and blessings until they turned the corner.

"**Dey seem to like ya. What was wid da little Gnome?**"

"**He's an old friend from when I was staying here**" Zenji grunted "**if I hold on tightly…how quickly do you think you can make it to the Hunting Camp? I'd hate to take too long and find something has happened…we were lucky with the Rebel Camp but who's to say attacks haven't already begun?**"

"**If ya hold on **_**real **_**tight I can probably get dere in an hour, give or take a tad**"

Bracing herself, Mythrii dug her knees into his sides and clenched her fingers into his fur "**alright, I'm-**"

She hadn't finished before he'd broken out into a full gallop, leaping the last few feet of the slope to the Camp and racing towards the bridge that led across the river.

* * *

"By the lords, lass, what happened te ya?"

Mythrii looked up through the mass of hair that had fallen over her face and grinned weakly "I am not a confidant rider" she replied to the Dwarf, sliding down off the back of her mount and landing on her backside when her legs buckled "oof"

"**Ya okay, pet?**" Zenji asked warmly, rubbing her arm with his wet nose.

"**Fine…I'm fine…ow…**" forcing herself up onto her hooves, the Draenei hobbled over to the dark haired man that had addressed her "Mr Nesingwary?"

"Ack…that was me father; ye welcome ta call me Junior, or maybe Hemet if ye feeling comfortable"

Wincing slightly as she moved, the blond nodded "thank you, Hemet"

"So what brings ye, lass; here te join me great hunt?"

She laughed "oh no. I'm not much of a Hunter I'm afraid" he motioned for her to take a seat on one of the barrels by the campfire where a spit was roasting, behind them her partner strutted closer "**Zenji; you're welcome to change back. It must be tiring staying in that form along with carrying me around**" the woman reached over and ran her fingers through the thick fur on his neck; it was damp and cold with sweat but he relaxed his muscles and raised his head to let her stroke more of him "it would be alright if my friend rested, wouldn't it? He's not in any danger here?"

"Druid? No, no" Hemet shook his head and poked the fire with a stick.

"Troll" she corrected gently.

The man waved his hand "we don't discriminate"

With a smile, Mythrii turned back to Zenji who had been watching them closely with his striking amber gaze "**do you like to hunt?**"

"**I'm a Troll, what'd ya tink?**"

"Zenji likes to hunt" she directed to the young Dwarf "but he doesn't speak Common all that well I'm afraid"

She had stopped rubbing him and her hands were folded delicately in her lap, so he bumped her "**dat felt good, keep goin'**"

Hemet had taken a seat opposite the lilac skinned Draenei "you're here for ye friend then? If he's the Hunter I mean but what's a Draenei doing with a Troll anyway?"

"There's some trouble brewing here, the two of us are travelling around Northern Stranglethorn warning every encampment we know of about an encroaching attack by the Trolls of Zul'Gurub"

The dark haired Dwarf blinked "well…that is something" he rubbed his chin, mussing his beard up in the process "but it might also be explaining some things"

"The soldiers in the Rebel Camp just north of here have offered an alliance in case of an assault"

"Aye, we'll send someone up there. That's good thinking, lass"

Pausing her petting of Zenji once more, Mythrii's brow furrowed "you said it would explain some things? What things?"

"Panthers" the Hunter said shortly "hardly a challenge for the likes of us, but there's this new one that's been attacking over the past couple of weeks taking men in the night, both friends and those just resting or stopping by. No matter what we do we can't stop it; it can trigger traps and not get caught, it just claws through nets and it's almost like a shadow, no footprints to track at all. We have guards on watch at night but it still manages to get in"

"Oh my!" she gasped.

"Aye, ye best be on ya guard. Being out at night was a fools walk before but now it's certain death, of course, staying here doesn't guarantee ye any safety either. Ye friend and yourself are welcome te rest till the morning but I ain't gonna promise ye a good nights sleep"

"Thank you, Hemet" Mythrii nodded to him, he returned the motion and walked away to explain the new situation to the other camp members "**he said we can stay the night, but there is a panther stalking the camp so we should be on our guard**"

"**Panther?**" Zenji has still not shifted out of his travel form, choosing instead to lie down beside her as the great stag "**years ago dere was a Priest chosen by Bethekk, da Panther Loa, ta help destroy Zul'Gurub but she was corrupted by da Blood-God Hakkar**"

"**Do you believe it could be them?**"

"**She was said to have been killed da last time da city was attacked. Course, Mandokir was supposedly killed too****. All I can say fer sure is ta expect anyting**"

"**Yes, I can safely assume that's the only solid fact we have**" she muttered to him, a slight tinge of fear in her voice "**Zenji I…I'm sorry**"

He looked up at her curiously "**fer what, pet?**"

Lowering her head, Mythrii gazed at the dry earth in shame with her hair falling over to cover her face, the short vertical horns atop her head standing out dramatically in her position "**I never thanked you for saving me from the Bloodlord yesterday. I'm sorry I was so stupid and I can't thank you enough for what you did**"

"**Oh dat?**" he chuckled, tail flicking off a fly from his backside "**it's old news, pet, Zenji don't care. As long as we safe den it don't matter**"

"**I still feel bad about it…especially since you were so angry but I promise you I'm not usually that dumb**"

"**We all have our air headed moments, Draenei. As long as ya don't have 'em **_**too**_** much den we be fine**" he smirked at her "**but if ya really desperate fer ma forgiveness den ya could give me a rubdown, da sweat is really chaffing ma fur**"

She blinked her bright eyes suspiciously "**this isn't some perverted trick is it?**" she asked "**'rubdown' doesn't mean something else for Trolls does it?**"

"**I don't know what ya talkin' about**" Zenji smiled childishly "**I want ya ta take a towel or a brush and groom me, it's nice and relaxing fer me after all da running I be doing**"

The Shaman was still a little reserved but he appeared genuine enough "**alright then, I shall see if Hemet has anything I could use**"

The Troll watched her chase after the Dwarf with an expectant gaze.

* * *

Rose: That's it for this chapter, I hope you liked it.

Review please!


	8. Chapter 8

Rose: Thanks for all the hits and reviews, I'm glad you keep coming back.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

"**Oh yeah…pet, dat's da spot…**"

Zenji shivered heavily and curled his hooves as Mythrii rubbed the towel over his back. She flushed lightly "**not so loud, Zenji, people are looking!**"

"**Let dem look…dis feels amazing!**"

"**You'll need to change back after this, they're going to give us some food, though I'm not sure it'll be enough for you, and they've cleared out a tent that we can sleep in**"

"**Rub ma shoulder harder**" he muttered, ignoring what she'd said "**oh…yeah, like dat**" his bottom lip was bleeding from digging his teeth into it so hard and one of his front legs began tapping the earth softly with each stroke.

"_By the Loa…this is better than sex!_" he thought to himself as he fell deeper into his euphoric haze, he was going to make her do this every time he carried her somewhere.

Suddenly he was snapped back into sobriety as the towel was removed from his neck and her fingers untwisted from his thick fur "**wha…?**"

"**That's enough, any more and you'll have to buy me a drink**" he blinked at the Draenei as she went to toss the towel away. Had she just make a joke?

"**I'll buy ya dat drink!**" he begged "**just keep rubbing!**"

The Shaman only laughed cheerfully and waved at him without turning around. Zenji pouted unhappily when it became apparent he wasn't getting anything more out of her this evening and so with great reluctance he shifted out of his travel form and back to his natural state, his muscles ached heavily with lactic acid and fatigue.

Trolls were one of the few races known for their great running skills but even they had their limits and Zenji had reached his. Exerting himself by galloping at full pelt alongside the energy used to maintain the stag shape, it wasn't like his cat or bear form which were granted by the Loa and felt natural, the stag was not something Trolls embraced and they'd only learnt it from the Tauren out of necessity. He preferred a cheetah shape but he would be unable to carry Mythrii in that form.

Stretching his long arms across his broad chest he glanced over his shoulder towards the woman, she was at the fire pit with the Dwarves and although he could guess all of them were desperate for a pint none had picked up a keg. The looming threat in the jungle was too dangerous to risk letting their guard down like that.

Mythrii called to him to sit beside her and held up a plate of what looked like tiger meat; he was starving, another factor towards his painful bodily state, and had not eaten since that morning. That small piece of steak looked like a mountain to him.

"**Tanks, pet**" he crouched down beside her, forgoing the barrel seat as he believed his superior weight would break it, and besides; he was still as tall as the Dwarves on their seats when he sat on the ground "**how's it cooked?**"

"**It's only a camp fire, I expect it's well done**" she had a smaller piece of meat that she was cutting up into tiny pieces to daintily eat bit by bit.

"**Damn**" he grumbled "**I like it bloody**"

She looked over to him, her jaw chewing slowly as she watched him poke the steak unhappily "**they're not done cooking yet, I'm sure you could give yours to someone else and have one cooked rare**"

"**No, it's fine. Ain't worth da hassle over a little piece of meat**"

He ignored the eating utensils and lifted the steak to his lips, tearing it in half with his predator teeth and shoving both pieces into his mouth with room to spare "**that didn't look very filling for you**" Mythrii ate another bite of her own food then placed her plate on top of his "**have the rest of mine, it's not much but you need more than me**"

"You treat that Troll like he's your husband" Erlgadin, one of the few permanent humans in the camp, said to her.

Mythrii stuttered "oh goodness, I don't do I? I'm only being friendly; he really needs the food more than me what with carrying me around everywhere and fighting!"

The man snickered "you're a very kind person, better make sure he knows that's all you are"

"He's not an idiot, Sir Erlgadin. We're just acquaintances"

A young blond woman smiled "we're quite sure"

"Don't embarrass her Ajeck" the ex-noble smirked.

Zenji had eaten Mythrii's food without question, Trolls weren't ones to refuse a meal, but he'd done it almost as fast as he'd scoffed his own and had seen the way her face darkened when the humans addressed her.

"**What're they saying?**"

"Aha…he's joining in now!"

The Shaman shushed the human male, which only peaked the Druid's interests "**they're…they're teasing us**"

"Shouldn't you teach your little barbarian some Common? It's rude to have you tittering away in that ugly language when we can't understand you!" Ajeck said haughtily.

The woman beside the Troll dug her thumb nail into her palm discretely "please don't be rude. He's trying to learn Common but it's very difficult, but don't be mistaken he can understand some of what you say"

"**Heh…I'd give that human woman somethin' ta tease**" Zenji growled to her as he stared at the other female "**tell dem ta shut da fuck up and mind dere own business!**"

"I don't know how you can stand to be around him, let alone sleep with him; I can smell him from here" the blond human waved a hand before her nose.

"Stop being so rude!" Mythrii pleaded.

"Aye, it's not right" Barnil Stonepot, another Dwarf in the camp, intervened "Ajeck, quit ye yapping and Erlgadin, stop being an uncouth moron!" both humans grumbled to one another but said no more.

The lavender skinned Troll set his jaw "**where we be sleepin'?**" he asked, not taking his glare off of the reddish-brown harried noble across from him.

"**Are you tired?**"

"**Yeah**"

"Which tent is Zenji's?" she directed the question to Barnil specifically "he wants to retire"

"The one over on the far left was cleared out for the two of ye. Did ye want separate tents? Hemet didn't tell us that"

"It's quite alright" she smiled at the ginger bearded man "we'll cope I'm sure"

"It's no trouble te clear another out" he put forward despite the tired groans of protest emitting from Human, Dwarf and Goblin alike.

"I don't want to be a bother" Mythrii said sheepishly "**the far left**"

"**Tanks**" Zenji stood up and stomped off to her surprise, he'd looked a little upset a moment ago but was he angry? She didn't like it when he was angry.

"**Zenji?**"

"Is he alright?" Hemet had passed the fuming Troll and approached the Draenei with a concerned expression "oh, tiger! Yum, those Hunters the other day sure did a good job" he grabbed a steak and sat in the chair Zenji had ignored.

"I don't know. Please, excuse me; I should probably see"

With a quick smile and a bow, Mythrii hurried off to the tent Zenji now occupied. He was sitting uncomfortably with his back to the flap "**fuckin' tings ain't made fer real people**" he was complaining to himself "**damn head rubbing the top making it hurt…**"

Squeezing in behind him, she gently touched his shoulder "**is something wrong?**"

"**Yeah. It's alright fer you in dese places, ya can speak Common and shit but I'm left sitting on da side havin' ta listen ta dem tease me in a language I don't understand! Havin' ta have some woman translate fer me so I know what's going on! You be havin' none of dese problems, an Orc insults ya and ya could insult him right back. Me? Dat Human bitch says someting and I don't even know it's happened till it's over!**" he turned away with a huff.

"**I…I'm sorry?**"

He sighed and muttered "**it ain't yer fault…just easier ta take it out on ya I suppose**"

"**Hemet seems to have his panther problem under control, at least right now, he says there hasn't been a kill in days. So if you think it would be best, we can leave at first light for Bambala**"

"**Bambala be mostly Trolls, so dey won't bother ya if yer wid me**" he said lowly "**I could rest proper there too, in a real Troll sized bed, not dis silly little ting! How are ya supposed ta fit in here beside me? Yer gonna have ta lay on my belly!**"

"**I'm much smaller than you; I can easily fit into the slither of space you've left on this side**"

"**What if I stretch out, eh?**"

"**Stay on your three quarters and I'll stay on my remaining piece**" she argued, crossing her arms over her stomach, Zenji chuckled at her and rolled, with difficulty, onto his back. He had to bend his legs up to keep his feet from poking out of the flap and he crossed his arms above his head to make a pillow between his crown and one of the tent poles "**Barnil did offer to clear out another tent for me, if you don't have enough room-**"

"**No. It ain't safe fer ya ta be alone, especially if dere's some killer beast out dere dat may or may not be connected with da Gurubashi. Just scream if I roll on ya, dat way I might wake up and ya won't suffocate**"

"**Are you sure it's safer in here than out there?**"

He grunted in annoyance "**go ta sleep, pet, Zenji be tired**" his eyes closed and his breathing slowed as he began to drift off to sleep. Mythrii wriggled down into the spare space beside him and laid with her back to the huge male, removing her mail gloves so she could tuck her arms beneath her head to soften her rest.

* * *

He hadn't rolled on top of her but he'd come close.

One of the Druids' legs had somehow been thrown over her back even though the rest of him hadn't moved. The limb was pure muscle and incredibly heavy, the tiny moving space made pushing it off even more difficult as she couldn't roll over.

A'dal knew she wasn't going to scream like he'd suggested, but it was rather hard to breathe with a leg as thick both of hers weighing her down. How did Troll women deal with Troll men? They seemed impossible to handle in so many ways.

Outside it was silent. Only the slight rustling of the wind and her own grunts of exhaustion could be heard, every so often one of the watchmen would cough or say something but other than that all was at ease.

It was only when Mythrii finally gave up and slumped down that the first gunshot rang. A Dwarfish shriek echoed around the still night followed by more shots. The Shaman gasped and pushed herself up as far as she could go so she could attempt to wake the man beside her.

She tried calling his name, she tried slapping him but he just kept snoring. Finally she decided the only course of action was to grab him by his long, hooked nose and hold it tight while her other hand covered his mouth until his skin started to turn blue.

His narrow eyes snapped open and he fought her off him "**ya bloody crazy bitch!**" he panted, flailing his arms and almost hitting her across the face.

"**Zenji!**"

"**Tryin' ta kill me in ma sleep, I should-**"

**BANG!**

The male paused "**da hell was dat?**"

"**Something happened to one of the men, he screamed!**"

Pulling back the flag, Zenji peered out "**I don't see nothin'**" he said quietly "**no panther, no watchmen, nothin'**"

"**Zenji, move your leg!**"

He slid it off her without replying and crouched down ready to attack if something happened. There were lanterns being lit in the other tents and with the new light he could see the trail of red across the centre of the camp "**it got someone. Don't know if it's sated though**"

"It's here! The beast is here!" Hemet ran out shirtless brandishing his gun.

Zenji held out his arm when Mythrii tried to exit the tent too "**hold on, pet…somethin' ain't right here. It's too quiet…**"

Although she had excellent vision at night and could see far into the jungle where the Dwarves could not; Zenji, with his Druidic skills honed over the years, could see far better than even her. He could not see as far but could see in more detail than her eyes could ever hope and just beyond the border he spotted the sleek movement of a feline form.

The Draenei clutched his arm, digging her long nails into the tough flesh "**what is it?**"

"**It's comin' back again**" the male replied solemnly "**it's not huntin' fer food though; it's huntin' fer sport**"

"**How cruel…**"

"**Dat's da life of Gurubashi**" the Druid muttered, Mythrii looked up at him curiously; had she detected a hint of sadness in his tone? Zenji was also Gurubashi, technically speaking.

Looking down for a moment, she forgot about the looming threat and extracted her nails from his skin and gently stroked the indents she'd made; he inclined his head towards her, long strands of white hair falling to tickle her forehead softly.

A high pitched scream broke the silence between them; in a corner of the camp over where the supplies were stored under a huge tarp, the panther had been cornered by the Hunters with their guns poised to shoot. Its claws and maw were stained red with blood and at its feet was one of the Goblins, his throat torn out.

"Shoot it! Shoot it!" Hemet ordered and on queue all the Hunters in range blasted their weapons, every shot made contact with the beast but not enough to kill. Bleeding heavily from its chest the cat leapt over the Humans and Dwarves to flee across the river in one great jump.

"**We gotta kill dat cat**" Zenji whispered to her; he had intended to say it louder but his voice wouldn't allow him, she stopped with her ministrations and craned her neck which caused his long, hooked nose to bump her smaller button like one. She squeaked, having not realised he was so close.

"Where's Grent? Grent! Grent where are ye?" the black haired Hunter was cupping his mouth to shout "did it get him?"

Ajeck looked around "I don't see a body; it's never taken a body before"

"He must have gone after it! The damn fool!"

The Troll drew back into the tent and dropped the flap "**what's goin' on?**"

"**One of the Hunter's is missing; they think he's chased after the panther**"

"**Idiot gonna get himself killed. C'mon, pet, let's hope we find dat cat before it finds him**"

* * *

Rose: Thanks for reading.

Review please!


	9. Chapter 9

Rose: Welcome back to this story, and thank you for any hits and reviews.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

They did not find the cat.

But they did find the Hunter.

Grent Direhammer was shorter than most other Dwarves but he'd been blessed with a much keener mind. His bright orange beard stood out in start contrast to the green clothes he wore than helped him blend into the surroundings.

"Ye came te help?" he muttered lowly as the pair approached him from behind "cause if ye here ta bring me back ye can forget it"

"We can help" Mythrii replied quietly, crouching down beside the smaller humanoid in the undergrowth "Zenji says we need to kill it otherwise it's going to kill everyone in the camp"

Said Troll squatted down behind the female protectively, sheltering her should anything come from behind the small group but still having the advantage of intercepting an attack if it came from ahead of them.

"**It don't leave no tracks, pet, it got da spirits shieldin' it. Da Hunter gonna have a hard time findin' it cause it don't wanna be found**"

She repeated this information to Grent, who grunted disapprovingly "ye can tell ye Troll friend that I already found the beast. Gave it a name too while I was waiting; Mauti"

"Mauti?"

"Yeah. Nice, eh? Anyway, it's over on the other ridge close to that Human camp that went all crazy, ye know the one?"

"I'm familiar with it, yes" turning to the hulking male behind her the Shaman drew his attention "**he's found the panther and named it 'Mauti'. He says it's over on the ridge close to the Kurzen Compound**"

"**I don't know where dat is**"

"**I do**" looking over at Grent she pulled her dark lips into a smile "please, show us the way. Zenji is sure he can take down the beast"

"Alright, lass, it's over this way"

Grent lead them down off the hill where he'd been keeping watch and skirted around the edge of the compound. By now the sun was beginning to rise, the light breaking though the gaps in the canopy to light the floor below.

It took them a long time to manoeuvre around the compound towards the cliffs on the opposite side; while most of the area was abandoned it didn't mean there still weren't men and women skulking around, loss in their fanatical madness. They wandered without cause, crying or wailing. Sometimes they'd fight one another if they happened to cross paths.

Zenji took in the sight of the dilapidated buildings and lowered his head "**what happened ta dis place?**"

"**I don't know all the details, I'm afraid. What I do know is that the settlement here was corrupted by their leader and most of the inhabitants were poisoned with some sort of medicine-**"

"Get down!" the Dwarf suddenly hissed; coming their way was a man swirling a strange vial in his hands and muttering to himself, judging by the tracks in the dirt he'd been walking the same circle for a while now.

"He's coming this way" Mythrii breathed.

The man grunted and raised his gun, looking down the barrel as he aimed the shot to the mad man's head "**what's he doin'? Da noise will bring dem all!**"

Slowly, the woman placed her hand on the rifle and lowered it and when Grent looked at her in confusion she shook her head in the same manner a mother might use on her child. Reluctantly, he put the weapon away.

Zenji pressed a hand to the small of her back, making her flinch in surprise "**look…**" he pointed out the streaks of red that traced their way across the compound, some were older than others and one track still glistened wetly.

"We weren't te only ones ta be stalked" the Hunter frowned behind his beard.

As the mad man passed them by without looking up from his vial, the trio slipped away with ease towards the ridge, the shortest of them went up first, easily scaling the side with a natural grace one usually didn't see when thinking of his race. Mythrii went next, her long fingers grabbing hold of the rocks to pull herself up "**careful, pet**" the Druid said, catching her around the waist when her hoof slipped out from under her.

"**Thank you**" she laughed bashfully, letting him push her back up to a more secure hold. His long arms and legs meant it was a doddle for the Troll to scurry up the cliff, but he hung back behind the woman in-case she lost her footing again, at least that's what he told himself as he stared at her perk little backside in that tiny blue loincloth.

Once at the top, the blond Draenei knelt down to catch her breath as the Hunter ran ahead to prepare his shot of the panther.

"They'll be writing stories about me after this" he joked to her, hiding behind a boulder as the cat prowled nearby.

The lavender skinned Darkspear ordered her to remain behind him, it was usually at this point that he would shift into a bear or tiger but it appeared as though the little man had it under control. His priority right now was to keep her safe, if anything happened to Mythrii then Bwemba would have his ass on a platter.

Grent lined up his shot, he'd only have one chance and with the beast in such a weakened state it was unlikely he'd ever find himself in such a situation again.

Mauti limped around a small pile of leaves and grasses, most likely a nest of some sort. He growled into the wind, sitting down with a pained grunt as blood trickled through his dark fur to pool onto the earth. The Dwarf waited until he was looking in their direction, a pregnant silence followed before Grent broke it, the click of him pulling his finger preceded the deafening blast that finally brought the monster down.

His body fell forwards and hit the ground heavily. The Hunter wasted no time in sprinting forward, whooping and cheering around his kill "get ye friend te help carry it back, quickly now; Hemet ain't gonna believe this!"

"Oh my…" the Draenei whispered softly, not quite hearing what he was asking of her, and lowered herself down beside the limp body of the great cat "it's such a beautiful creature" her fingers ran through the fur on the top of its head, feeling the silky smoothness of the thick hair. From here she could see the slight discolouration of the fur which highlighted the paler spots that had previously been unseen "it's still warm"

"What a beast! Bigger than I thought it was though…it must be twice the size of any other cat in the area, even bigger than that white tiger Hemet killed!"

Her hand had moved down to the shoulder of the animal and she felt the wiry muscles beneath her palm twitch. Zenji watched the expression on her face melt from contentment and awe to fear and shock, at the same time her hand drew back slowly to her chest, the blood drained from her cheeks while her mouth paled and her throat dried.

"It's still-"

"**MYTHRII!**"

Mauti roared, rolling over his back to swipe his huge, clawed paws at the Hunter and Shaman. The blond shrieked, falling back just in time for the attack to miss her face and catch her over the right shoulder, knocking her feathered shoulder guard onto the ground beside her. Grent was not so lucky, he was hit across the stomach and winded. The panther jumped to his feet, the wounds from before having vanished and no blood visible anywhere on his form, he seemed to grow in front of them until he was double his original size.

The Troll ran towards the beast, tackling it as it reared up with his sharp elbow digging into a space between its ribs which gave him a small window with which to dive atop the frightened woman. He covered her completely, arms shielding their heads whilst the cat batted at his body as if he was a mouse to be played with.

"**Zenji…**" she whimpered with a pained tone, tears collecting in the corners of her bright eyes.

**BANG!**

Another roar followed by the metallic sound of a gun hitting rock, the Druid risked pulling his head up to peer over his shoulder in time to see Mauti pin the petrified Dwarf under a single paw.

"**Stay down**" he hissed when he felt her move beneath him, the tip of her crystal axe was digging into his hip "**and hold still, damnit!**"

"It's got me!" Grent called and Zenji didn't need to turn to see as the cat ran over them with the small man held securely within his strong jaws.

Mythrii craned her head back to see them vanish up over the even higher cliffs and cried out in despair, her hands covering her mouth as the tears that had previously been held back began to trail down her temples into her hair due to the angle of her neck.

She screamed the Hunters' name when the Troll finally pulled back to allow her to sit up "**yer arm**" he grabbed at her uninjured one as she tried to get up "**ya can't go chasin' panthers with dat arm!**"

"**Let go! We have to find him!**"

"**Just let me look, ya stubborn cow!**"

"**Goat actually! My feet more resemble an Azeroth goat, not cow!**"

"**Who gives a shit what kind of feet ya got when…why is it blue?**"

She had blue blood? Zenji had never seen or heard of such a thing, he knew Orcs had green blood but he'd assumed Draenei were like Night Elves, who had normal red like he and every other native race. The skin tones of the Draenei compared to the Elves were too similar to have assumed anything else.

Moving his hands to her right arm, he gently stroked the wound and was relieved to find it shallow but he had no talent for healing and if left alone it would become infected out here.

The woman winced when he touched it "**I can heal it**" she whispered, voice still strained with pain and from her yelling "**just give me a moment…I'm not used to having to heal myself**"

Zenji was more than happy to give her as long as she needed. He forgot about the wound for a moment, forgot about the Dwarf in need of their help and focused his entire mind on the gleaming liquid that now stained his fingertips; it trickled down his fat fingers to collect in his large palm. Bringing it up towards his nose he inhaled deeply and shuddered, eyes rolling into his skull.

Darkspear may not consider themselves a part of the Gurubashi empire anymore, but it could not be denied their heritage. Blood was a staple part of the Jungle Troll religions and most ceremonies, from birth to marriage to death, revolved around the life giving liquid in some way. It was no wonder the Trolls of Zul'Gurub had been taken in so easily by the devil-God Hakkar.

His mouth watered as he stared at his hand. He could wash it clean and then drink her dry; take every ounce of that glorious elixir from her and give it to himself; he opened his mouth to lick his lips when more of her strange blood ran trails down her arm.

She paid him and his thoughts no heed. With her good hand she was channelling water, albeit messily as there was less control, and pressing it into the cuts to clean and seal the skin. It was magical witnessing the parted flesh seam itself back together until not even a scar remained to remind them of what had originally been there.

"**My shoulder guard**" the woman breathed heavily, that spell had taken a great toll on her tired body; it seemed that the water spirits had not yet been calmed.

It had been knocked not too far from them; Zenji retrieved it for her and watched her click it back into place, it was an interesting looking mantle in the shape of a wolf head with a glowing blue effect "**da Dwarf was taken up and over…**" he croaked whilst flexing his fingers to feel the blood drying against his skin, he'd resisted the urge to drink this time "**if we can get up, maybe we see which way da cat went**" she looked where he was motioning, all the way up the steep Cliffside?

Her lip began to quiver and she burst into angry tears "**I can't climb that****!**" she hiccupped "**and you cannot fight that beast alone! Grent is going to die along with the others!**"

"**Pet! Calm down, look…look…just…pet!**" he flopped down onto his knees and shook her, slightly harder than he intended however "**ya can climb**" Mythrii sobbed but said nothing more.

With her useless on the ground and him unable to leave her alone, Zenji fumbled about what to do. This woman had not been expecting the events of the past couple of days and the journey they were taking was wearing her down. She couldn't climb, she couldn't fight as far as he knew and she appeared to be a mediocre healer, what healer could barely heal them self?

He could climb the rocks with little effort. All Trolls could climb after all but hadn't she said she had goat feet? Weren't goats always hopping around mountains and such, wouldn't that mean she was a good climber?

Scratching his head in exasperation, the male stared down at the still wailing female. If he didn't find a way to shut her up she was going to draw every predator in the area to them.

With a smirk he though about shoving something into her mouth; something big that she would muffle her completely. Pinching his tongue between his pointed teeth, Zenji giggled to himself as devious thoughts filled his head.

She heard him and peered up with her bright, swollen eyes "**w-what?**"

The Druid silenced himself immediately and coughed "**nothin' pet. But Old Zenji got an idea how we gonna get you over da mountain**" her lips pulled into a weak smile "**alright; up ya get, pet**"

Wiping her eyes, she shuffled to her feet and sniffed again "**so what's your…HEY!**"

He swept his long arm behind her knees and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of grain; she grabbed the back of his leather tunic and squealed when she felt herself slide down as he angled to begin climbing. He slid up the wall like a monkey, muscles pumping each time he pulled them up another ledge.

When it became apparent that holding her by the legs wasn't going to be good enough for her, Zenji bounced her so her stomach pressed into his shoulder, winding her slightly though he ignored her complaints, and moved his hand further up so it was clutching her buttocks.

"**Zenji!**"

"**Ya rather fall, pet?**"

She didn't answer. And as he climbed he made sure she was 'secure' by giving her a good squeeze every now and then, just to be safe.

Her backside was large and firm. Similar in feel to that of a Troll but rounder and more full with the skin being soft and smooth like that of a babe, nothing like the furriness he was used to from his own native females. Her loincloth barely covered the necessities and he briefly wondered why she wore it when she was obviously such a prude, he was only touching her to make sure she didn't fall after all. He didn't know why she was making such a big deal about it.

With a grin he groped her again, her hooves beat against his chest but it was like flies batting at a dog to him. He snickered "**hold on, pet, Zenji just lookin' out fer ya**"

"**Stop it! Stop doing that!**" she shrieked viciously.

"**Ya, ya**" he disregarded her, bouncing her once again to make her yelp "**now, ya gonna hold still or is Zenji gonna have ta drop ya?**"

She mumbled quietly "**I'll be good**"

"**Dat's ma good pet**" he patted her with a laugh, feeling the meaty flesh tense slightly. He didn't think he'd grow bored of this for a long while.

* * *

Rose: That's it for this chapter, next time we'll see what happened to the Hunter.

Review please!


	10. Chapter 10

Rose: Was feeling a little ill when I wrote this so I apologise if it's not up to par with the other chapters.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

Mauti had taken Grent further than originally thought.

At the bottom of the cliff it had looked as though the beast had taken refuge at the top, like a house cat in a tree with a mouse. But upon reaching that point they found the remains of a smoke bomb, and more leading towards the south, an indication that the Hunter was leaving behind a breadcrumb trail for them to follow.

"It's probably headin' to its den" Zenji had said with a sigh, still with the Draenei on his shoulder "I imagine it's pretty far and dere be lots of climbing involved"

"Oh dear…" she had moaned, already tired of being lugged around by him; his shoulder was hurting her belly and his hand on her backside along with his constant teasing was grating on her last fragile nerves.

He started over the rocks, Mythrii didn't think he needed to carry her over the flatter parts but if she voiced a complaint he spanked her and although she chose to believe he was doing it gently it still hurt and left lasting stings.

They passed close to the Troll City of Zul'Gurub though they could not see over the huge walls. It was frightening to think what hid behind them though and the woman was thankful they were not any closer. It gave her chills in the pit of her stomach that made her light headed.

"Dere!" craning her neck, Mythrii looked over Zenji's huge head to see thin wisps of smoke in the air "we gettin' closer! Dat ting must be around here somewhere"

He shimmied along the Cliffside wall to a grassy ledge and as he jumped over his foot stepped on something metallic and warm. Crouching down, he let the Shaman slip out of his hold, grabbing her arm when she stumbled, and snatched up the metal shell "it must be from Grent" she said, her nimble fingers taking it from him.

A low growl carried on the wind past them. The lilac skinned woman turned with a shocked gasp, dropping the metal shell when she caught sight of the huge Black Panther that slept over on the other side of the ledge. He was still as big as when he'd taken the Dwarf, meaning this was probably his true form.

The Druid stood up, placing one of his large hands on the shoulder the cat had injured only a few hours before "ya stay behind me, pet" he ordered sternly to her "last time a scratch, dis time yer head. Best ya stay outta da fightin'"

She was ready to argue but he was already walking away from her, lowering himself down to take on the guise of a grey tiger. Mythrii watched, fascinated, as the fine hair covering his entire body grew and bleached itself grey and reddish for the stripes. His hair fanned up like a mane and his fingers and toes split whilst the nails curved.

It was…disturbing yet beautiful; watching this lanky Troll take on the shape of a majestic tiger. He then fell back into a nearby shadow, becoming nearly invisible to her as he crept up behind Mauti.

She could never dream to be as quiet as he was, whether as a humanoid or not. Her hooves were not made for sneaking and even her Ghost form was not completely undetectable. To outsider eyes she looked the more graceful of the two but it was she who felt inferior to the Druid.

Zenji dived upon the panther, which awoke with a roar and a tiger on his back clawing at his head. The Darkspear sank his teeth into the back of Mauti's neck, claws holding for dear life as the enemy moved closer to the sheer drop beside the nest, the edge crumbled with their combined weight but with a groan the Troll was able to steer the beast inland again.

Mythrii moved closer and thrust out her arms, a blue crystal like relic appeared at her feet and she directed it towards her partner.

He felt a wash of warm water across his body; it loosened his muscles and released the strain he'd created from holding onto the Panther. Whenever it began to feel as though he would let go another pulse from the Totem would relieve him long enough to attack at Mauti's head once more.

But he was a fool if he though he could win like this, a spirit protected beast such as this would not die so easily and even with Mythrii's Healing Stream Totem to help him, Zenji had no chance when the bigger feline rolled onto his back, crushing the male under his superior weight and dazing him for just long enough for the jungle cat to get away.

His eyes cleared in time to see it charge the Draenei "NO!"

She took a step back, as if to run, but then her hands rose and light began to crackle in her palms so bright it hurt to look directly at it. The Shaman threw her arms out and the ball of lighting stuck Mauti in the chest, stunning him so he side stepped and missed her.

Grabbing her axe she span around and sliced his hind leg open, the cat screeched murder at her but she was now the faster of the two of them and easily avoided his swipes as she moved towards the Druid.

He lay on the ground, eyes wide in stupefaction "ya…ya hit it" he breathed, his little helpless Draenei had just saved herself from a creature many times her size. He thought her dead when it had attacked her but she'd done more to it in a few seconds than he'd done in a few minutes.

He wouldn't lie…it annoyed him. He'd liked saving her, he liked making her look up at him with thanks and admiration but now he was well aware that she was more than capable of looking after herself, and by extension, him. And it hurt his ego.

Those times she'd needed saving had not been because she was useless, it was because she'd been taken by surprise and had not had a chance to defend herself so he'd had to step in. When Mandokir had assaulted her and he'd pounced, she'd been scared to fight back but she wasn't unable to. And when Mauti injured her it was because she had not moved away fast enough upon realising he was still alive.

Zenji growled and pushed himself up onto his paws, she was standing in front of him with her shield and axe out ready to defend. He didn't like that. **He **was supposed to defend **her**! **NOT** the other way around!

His shoulder bumped her out of the way so he was in the prime attack position, he'd fight in bear form; that way he wouldn't need her help in this fight and she could go back to thanking him.

His bear form was similar to his cat form in colouration, the only real difference was that this tusks were more like his humanoid form. He liked fighting as a bear because it gave him a feeling of raw power, nothing could tear though his hide and his claws would shred that cat before Mythrii would get a chance to charge a spell.

He didn't need her help. He didn't want her help!

"Ya stay back now" he ordered lowly, a hint of anger at the edge of his voice before he charged forwards and skull bashed the beast, stunning it momentarily. Then he lashed out with his long fore claws and opened his jaws wide to maul his opponent. Behind him he could feel the Draenei channelling and growled to Mauti as he moved him to the left so her lightning bolt missed, he heard her curse in her own language and snickered.

He'd put them back in the status quo if it was the last thing he did. He wanted her back to that vulnerable little thing that sobbed at his feet. He wanted her docile and defenceless. He was the alpha and by the Loa he was not going to let her usurp him!

With a roar he slammed his paws against Mauti's chops, angrily clawing at the flesh that easily gave way to his rage. So deep in his primal fury was he, he didn't notice the ball of molten lava that skimmed his face until it had exploded on the Panther's side; it groaned as the hit knocked him towards the bed of leaves it had previously been sleeping on, the feline slipped on the foliage and scrabbled to regain its footing but the edge gave way and it fell from sight.

Zenji rushed to the edge with a furious cry and spotting the body of the cat down on the sharp rocks far below, it was motionless. He was silent for a short minute before rounding on Mythrii.

"I didn't need yer help!"

"I was just-"

"I **didn't **need yer help! I was fine, da cat was done fer and ya was just in da way!"

"In the way? In the way!?" she screeched furiously "if it wasn't for my Healing Totem it would have killed you back at the beginning of the fight! And if I hadn't have hit it with my Lava Totem it would have taken your nose off!" he recoiled slightly "or did you not see the paw coming right for your face just before I hit it?"

The Druid spluttered for a second, unable to come with a suitable answer that would bring him out on top.

He hadn't seen the attack coming from the side that Mythrii had prevented. He'd been too focused on killing the beast as fast as possible that he'd ignored the attacks thrown back at him, but now he could feel them. The ache of his muscles and the blood running through his fur, staining it and proving to this woman that he was not as capable fighting as he'd have her believe. A stronger bear Druid would have walked away without a single mark; they would have remembered to summon the trees to grant their bark shield and they would have remembered ask Ursoc for his blessing. He had only managed to call upon his own blood fury.

The Shaman's face softened as she looked down at him, he was swaying weakly and the blood was pooling under him and yet it kept flowing from his injuries. He glared up at her "I'm fine" he snarled defiantly as she went to speak, turning his back to her.

He was embarrassed and he didn't want her to see it.

"You're not-"

"Just find da Dwarf" the Troll snapped "in da den"

Stamping her hoof, Mythrii stormed past him with her lightning shield cracking as it mimicked her anger "you're impossible!" he grunted and sat down, letting the bear form slip away so he was back to his natural state. Rubbing his arms he used the only healing spell he knew, Rejuvenation, to ease the pain in his cuts and bruises. But it was only a minor pleasure that lasted a short while; he really was useless at spell casting.

Looking up he saw the Draenei vanish into the entrance of the cave and struggled up to follow her.

Mythrii crouched down at the head of Grent; he was weak and close to death, his side was bleeding and his body was covered in a sheen of cold sweat that soaked through his clothes "shhhh" she cooed softly, rubbing his head to calm him "it's alright, Grent, it's alright"

"I ain't…ain't gonna make it, lass" he shivered, eyes clenched tight and teeth gritted in pain "too much blood…did ye get it at least?"

She nodded "yes. Mauti is dead, he won't terrorise the camp anymore"

Pulling her hand from his head she began to call on the warm waters of Neptulon's children to ease the pain of the open wound on his right side, it was not just the skin and muscle that had been cut; further in his ribs had been crushed and one lung had collapsed "let me go, lass"

"I can heal you" her voice replied gently.

"No…ye need ye strength fer ye-self. Don't go wasting ye powers on me, lass, it ain't worth it. Just tell 'em I died happy, knowing that beast is dead"

"Grent…"

"Let me go, lass"

"But-"

"**Draenei**" both of them looked over in shock to see Zenji standing in the doorway of the cave, holding his arm against his chest and swaying with exhaustion "**he wants ta die**"

"That there…he's the one ye need te be healing, lass. He'll die without ye around te keep him well" the Hunter closed his forest green eyes and began to breathe slower "it's alright, I'll be with ma daddy soon…" her hands were still letting the water press into him, it was only when the Darkspear hobbled closer and grasped her hand that the spell was broken and the water splashed to the ground between the three beings.

Her eyes were burning with tears, Grent was close to death and she was helpless to do anything. No one had ever refused a healing before; it confused and scared the Shaman. She was more than capable of bringing him back from the very brink, he could be back to hunting in the jungle with Hemet and the others by morning but he chose to take the pain and let it kill him.

As Zenji went to take his hand away, confidant she wouldn't attempt to heal the Dwarf again, she clutched at it tightly and hiccupped though she was still watching Grent take his last few inhales.

He heard a sob break through her pursed lips, her fingers flexing around his palm while a few tears broke free to run down her cheeks. The long whiskers resting on her shoulders lifted their tips to wipe them away but they kept flowing.

"**He's gone, Draenei, we should bury him**"

"**Why didn't he let me heal him?**" she cried "**I could have…he could have…**"

"**Shhhh…I know, Draenei, I know**" raising his other arm he rubbed her head slowly, letting her hair run between his two digits and stroking it with his thumb.

_So soft…_

It was unlike Troll hair, which was thick and wiry. This was like the softest of silk in a million tiny strands.

"**Are…are we going to bury him here? Shouldn't we take him back to the camp?**"

"**And how am I suppose ta carry both you and him like dis? He's peaceful here; away from anyting dat could unearth him**"

Brushing away the last dregs of wetness from her face, Mythrii took a deep breath and nodded "**very well**"

* * *

Zenji cracked open his eyes tiredly, they were sore and the light from the morning sun shining into them wasn't helping. With a pained groan he used his hand to visor his face and sighed heavily, turning his head towards the mound of earth over in the middle of the cave, under which Grent was laid to rest.

He was leaning against the back wall, snuggled down into a nook between a couple large stones that made for a semi-comfortable chair like shape. As a Troll he'd slept on and in worse conditions.

There was something warm against his legs, looking down he saw the Draenei curled against his side, her head and arms tucked into his thighs and yet nowhere near his crotch but he wasn't as disappointed about that as he would have originally thought.

Her face was still puffy around the eyes from her crying in the night but otherwise she looked content.

"**Eh, pet**" he roused her lightly, shaking her shoulder and taking great care in doing it in a way that wouldn't cause her neck to dislocate from her shoulder "**c'mon, pet, time ta go**"

Moon glow eyes slid open slowly, the first thing she saw was the dark leather of his tunic and a flash of his lavender skin in the slit between that and his pants. Her mind was groggy so she stared for a few moments, forgetting just who it was that skin belonged to. When her brain finally clicked, she snapped her gaze up to his face as her cheeks darkened. Mythrii expected him to be grinning, to begin teasing her in his evil flirtatious manner but he was only staring back at her, blank faced but with his amber eyes slightly curious.

Forcing down the blush she pushed up onto her knees and touched his arm with the tips of her fingers "**you don't look good**"

The blank expression melted away to be replaced with a sneer "**oh yeah? Well you look like raptor shit**"

The Shaman dropped her jaw in disbelief, lifting her hands to her face to feel the swelling from her tears and then up to her hair in an attempt to fix it as she flushed "**I…I was referring to your injuries. They have the beginnings of an infection in them**"

He frowned and looked down to where her fingers had been, the scratch on his bicep. The edges were raw and dirty looking, he didn't see anything to indicate a disease of any sort but she must know better.

"**Oh…**" he muttered quietly "**I thought you meant…um…**" she wasn't looking at him now and his stomach twisted "**I was just kidding…**"

"**Okay**"

"**Ya really don't look dat bad…'specially fer sleeping on da floor, I know dat must be hard fer someone used ta fluffy feather beds, eh?**" he smiled at her widely, bordering on a grin but not quite there. She didn't reply, instead choosing to begin her work healing him "**ya did good yesterday…fightin' dat cat**"

"**This might hurt a bit**"

"**Wha…ARRRRRH!**"

He roared as her water pumped into his arm, flushing out the dirt and burgeoning infection so it could begin to seal the thick skin. Zenji dragged his nails over the ground and curled his toes, teeth bared and eyes wild and white as he peered over at the woman.

"**It'll feel better in a moment**" her voice sounded sad he deduced. The tips of his long ears twitched, had he really upset her that much? He'd not intended it that way, he thought she'd insulted him first and had just responded in the natural way. If it wasn't for the pulsing pain in his body he'd try his best to comfort her, but he couldn't help but think she was deliberately punishing him by not numbing the wounds with cold water first like most Shaman he was accustomed to.

Damn woman!

"**GENTLER!**" he snarled like a mad man, foaming in the corners of his mouth and spitting at her.

"**It's not my fault you wouldn't let me heal you after the fight. It would only have taken a few minutes and would have been completely painless, now I need to clean deep into the wound to be sure there is nothing I could accidentally trap under the skin, if that happened you'd lose your arm**"

"**It would grow back**" he replied, voice calmer as she pulled away from his arm and moved around to his other one, there was only a small fracture in the wrist thankfully, it hurt far less than the scratches and cuts.

Mythrii's face took on a look of interest "**really? A whole arm?**"

The Troll felt his stomach unwind and smirked "**yeah**" he nodded "**dey say if ya cut off an extremity it'll grow back a little bigger, don't believe it dough**"

"**And you know from experience?**" she giggled.

"**Nah…nah, it was a…um…friend of mine**"

She laughed "**I'm sure**"

With his arms back to their former glory the male flexed them and then tucked his fingers in the gaps of his tunic to pull it open, revealing a particularly nasty gash that travelled over his pectorals in a diagonal fashion "**don't worry, he didn't get me legs so I ain't gonna be strippin' all da way**" he teased with a flick of his tongue.

"**People's bodies react in different ways to Healing magic. Some people feel pain, others are tickled. Men in particular are prone to becoming physically excited though they can't control it. I can assure you I saw it all whilst training**"

"**Oh yeah?**" he quirked his ivory brow "**bet ya ain't seen nothin' like I got**"

He expected her to blush and stutter, what he didn't expect was for her to look him dead in the eye as she pressed her hands to chest and leant over him. The Druid pressed back against the wall in surprise, his throat felt dry and his mid-region felt hot all of a sudden. Where had this side of her come from?

Her gaze dropped from his face to his chest but he couldn't see her pupils to make the distinction, so while she was focusing on her work he still believed she was gazing at him, his nerves went into overdrive and he began to sweat uncomfortably "**pet…**"

"**You're lucky. This one isn't too deep and your clothes protected it from anything that would have caused infection**"

The sun was fully up now and shining into the cave behind the Shaman, causing her silky blond hair to glow around her head like a halo. Zenji couldn't recall ever using this word to describe something but…she was gorgeous!

A Draenei of all things!

"**Hey, pet…**" she tutted at him and lifted her head "**ya don't look anyting like raptor shit; in fact…ya look damn fine**"

* * *

Rose: Quite a long chapter as you can tell, oh well, I hope you liked it.

Review please!


	11. Chapter 11

Rose: Thanks for all the reviews and hits.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

"Alright den, pet" Zenji patted her shoulder from behind "Bambala be just on da other side of dese mountains, it be built close to the gates of the great city so if anyone gonna get hit by an attack it gonna be dem"

Mythrii sighed "you're going to carry me again…aren't you?"

"Well…it be da only way-"

"Poppy-cock!"

The Troll burst into loud laughter "what da hell does dat mean?" he slapped his thigh as he doubled over, long hair falling around his head and brushing the ground.

The Draenei crossed her arms and huffed "it means I think you're lying! You're a Druid aren't you? So you can turn into a bird and fly us down! If only I'd thought of it earlier then I wouldn't have had to put up with you!"

He snorted "well…I could'a I suppose" then he smiled "but it would'a been no fun if I'd of just done dat"

"So you **can **fly?"

"Course I can"

"You…" she growled, shaking her fist at him. The whiskers on her neck waving like a cats tail in agitation "if you'd flown us here then Grent wouldn't have died!"

The Druid scowled "don't go blamin' dat on me, girl!" she bristled "fine. I fly us down. Plenty of Trolls in Bambala, maybe dey know more about what's goin' on in Zul'Gurub"

"What about Grent?"

"What about him?"

"We have to tell Hemet what happened to him and about the death of Mauti!"

"I can't fly ya ta da camp **and **Bambala. I ain't made fer carryin' passengers"

The blond woman crossed her arms over her stomach and frowned "then take me to the Hunter's Camp and I can walk"

"In da jungle on yer own?" he snorted "yer'll probably be killed in minutes" she stomped her hoof furiously "I'll take ya ta Bambala and den **I **will fly ta the Hunter Camp ta tell dem what happened"

"With your absolutely flawless Common, am I right?"

"Den write a letter; damn it, woman! It ain't hard!"

Mythrii turned her frown into a flat lipped expression "very well" Zenji stared at her with his narrowed amber eyes. She relented rather quickly; he'd been expecting a fight.

"_YOU KILLED MY CAT!_"

She screamed and the male jumped upright in shock. Behind the Draenei mist was forming into the shape of a tall, greenish skinned female Troll with violet-blue hair, around her neck she wore a collar of fangs decorated with small skulls. Mythrii span around and held her shield in-front of her protectively.

"Da fuck?" Zenji hissed, staring at the vision floating above them "who-"

"_You monsters killed my precious cat! How could you? He was my baby, my poor little kitten!_"

"What is she saying?" the Shaman whispered.

"She's mad we killed da cat. She must be da High Priestess of Bethekk but I always heard it was another woman…a slightly older one"

"_Stranglethorn is Gurubashi land! If you want to live I suggest you leave or we'll bury you here! But if you wish to stay it's no skin off our backs, sacrifices are always needed_"

The Shaman peered over the top of her crystal engraved shield "is she going to attack us?"

"Nah…she be a mirage kinda ting. Just using da air to speak to us"

"_Silence! Death will be too good for you after you killed my sweet baby. My Pride roams these jungles day and night. They'll be waiting to avenge their fallen brother_"

"_Get lost you hag!_" Zenji hissed "_be gone!_"

The Priestess cackled and began to dissipate "_Zul'Gurub is watching…_" she whispered as she vanished and her voice carried off to the winds.

"Meow!"

The two humanoids looked behind them over to the cave where Grent lay. A small black shape was scuttling towards them, yowling and wailing at the last wisps of the Gurubashi woman.

The male pulled the woman out of the way before the little fur ball hit her leg, it skidded to a stop at the cliff edge still squealing and now attempting to catch the gust of wind that carried off the Priestess

When it realised it couldn't grasp at the air, the tiny thing turned around and fixed it's overly large eyes on Zenji. It yowled and barrelled into him, jumping up at his leg and digging its weak claws into his thick skin.

"Ah, ya bugga'!" he snapped, swatting it away with a snarl.

"Don't hurt it!" Mythrii cried "poor little thing, you could have killed it!"

"All da betta'. Damn ting was hidin' in da cave all dis time, must be one of her Panthers. Only a young one…best ta get rid of it before it grows big like Mauti"

"No!" the Draenei crouched down and beckoned the cub closer, it purred gently and rubbed up against her arms before settling in her lap "it's only a baby…it still has milk teeth"

The Troll grunted "leave it. We're going"

"I'm not leaving it! I'm going to keep it""

"Keep it? Ya ain't a Hunter, girl. Ya don't know nothin' 'bout animals; when dat ting gets big enough it'll turn around and eat ya wid-out a second thought!"

"You're being dramatic, I'm sure I could find someone to help me. Poor little thing is just a cub, it's not dangerous" she stroked the head of the Panther and smiled "aw…it's snoring!"

The white haired male glared angrily down at the tiny ball of fluff curled into the lap of the woman, with a huff he cross his arms over his chest and looked away. The stupid thing was just going to get in the way "take it ta Bambala. Someone dere will probably want it…'specially if ya let on it could be one of Bethekk's Pride" he scratched his chin "could make a nice bit of gold"

Mythrii stood up and cradled the cub in her arms, she ticked its belly as it slept and cooed as it stretched and purred before cuddling into her chest "so cute!" she squealed.

"Woman!"

"What?"

"Let's go!" he motioned furiously to the far ledge that led to the view of Zul'Gurub's great wall "just hold on ta da cat with one arm and use da other ta hold on ta me"

"So I'm riding on your back?"

The Druid strolled over to the edge and laughed "nah, nah, pet" he jumped off and heard the Shaman shriek before he soared back up into the air and circled around to catch the woman from behind, his feet wrapped around her wrist and dragged her off the earth and into the air. She screamed bloody murder at first, wriggling and clutching the cub in a death hold until she realised she wasn't falling and that it was Zenji holding her.

He didn't look like a bird as other Druids did. He was a huge lavender skinned, tusked bat with a crown of white fur on his head that trailed down his back to a stubby tail.

"YOU COULDN'T HAVE WARNED ME YOU BRUTE!" she roared in a way he found to be very unnatural sounding, lowering his head to look at her beneath him he grinned.

"I thought ya might like da surprise"

"YOU HORRIBLE, RUDE, UNCOUTH…_BASTARD_!" the last word he did not understand as it was spoken in a tongue he was not familiar with, Zenji could only assume that from the tone it was a curse word and that it had been said in Draenei, her native language.

Her arm was aching and it wouldn't surprise her if it dislocated, she would give him one compliment though even as she continued to swear at him within her mind; he was a gentle flier, Larkspurr always liked to fly fast and hard with many loops and riding as many wind currents as she could to increase her speed. Mythrii could only imagine flying with her Night Elf friend would be inconceivable.

Zenji, at least, glided slowly down to the opposite ledge across the water beside the great wall, where he let her land softly before landing beside her and shifting back into a man. He'd cut half a days climb just from that little stint and Bambala was only a short walk away; to a Troll used to walking long distances, at least. They'd be there by nightfall.

"Oh my!" she gasped, dropping the cat to rub her shoulder "I really would have preferred some sort of fore warning, Zenji, you could have taken my arm off. And my limbs don't grow back as you claim yours do"

The man chuckled cheerfully "yer fine, pet…eh, get off me ya runt!" the cat was back to pawing at his legs and once more found it self rolling across the ground towards the female "keep dat ting away from me. I hate cubs"

"Aw…how can you hate his little face?" Mythrii tittered as she held up the cub under its arms towards the Troll's face, it mewed and tried to bat his long nose but he only wrinkled his brow and growled as the fur wafted towards him.

"I said I hate…I…I hate…I…ACHOO!" the Draenei squeaked and jumped back. Zenji rubbed his nose with his arm and sniffed "keep it away from me if yer gonna be keepin' it till Bambala! Damn ting!"

"You're allergic? Oh Zenji, I'm so sorry I didn't realise! I'll be more careful I promise"

"I ain't allergic! Da baby fur irritates me nose and makes it itch!" he sneezed again and waved his arms wildly for her to move further away, she giggled to herself as she took another few paces back still with the panther in her arms like an infant "just…just stay like dis till we get dere. Shitty little runt"

She tutted and stroked the baby. It wasn't the cub's fault Zenji had allergies; there was no reason to knock it around like a rag doll or insult the sweet thing. But she wouldn't argue and walked behind him as he led the way down the side of the cliff towards flatter land, once there they could find the road to the town. With him unwilling to carry her down the steeper parts because of the animal, Mythrii was forced to climb haphazardly after the male, her hooves couldn't grip on the near vertical rock like his feet could and she took more than one tumble and found herself with more than a few bruises but thankfully no broken bones nor was the baby hurt in any way.

The Druid sniggered to himself as she picked herself up again but offered no assistance. With all her falling they might just get there faster, she was clearing the rocks faster than he was.

* * *

Rose: This one is a little shorter so sorry about that.

Review please!


	12. Chapter 12

Rose: Thanks for reading and reviewing if you did, I really appreciate it.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

I altered Bambala a bit. I imagine it's probably larger than depicted in game and the houses don't really seem practical.

* * *

Mythrii had decided that she could come to dislike Zenji quite a bit.

As he trotted along in his regal Stag form with her bouncing on his back, she cursed the weakness of her feet against the ever changing terrain of this planet. She'd had new shoes fitted in preparation for the new land the Earthen Ring had been intending to explore, of course, that was before she'd been dragged into a Troll war.

Her right shoe had come loose during one of her many tumbles down the rocks earlier that day, normally this would not be such an issue but a small stone had become stuck between the hoof and shoe. It had been alright at first, she'd walked a little slower along the road towards Bambala taking care to not let the shoe become any looser. But when the stone had been knocked in that was it for the Shaman.

It was agony to walk and had nearly brought her to hysterics when Zenji had not listened to her, choosing instead to believe she was just being lazy. The blood trail behind her when he forced her to walk on had thankfully convinced him but if he had just agreed to carry her the last few miles in the first place it wouldn't have happened.

He was apologetic, admitting his mistake and promising to find someone who knew how to work metal to fix the shoe. But Mythrii didn't care about that; she was angry that he'd refused to believe her when she'd needed help. She hadn't demanded he carry her. She'd only asked for a short rest so that she might pull the stone out but he'd continued on, threatening to leave her if she didn't catch up.

Zenji was never consistent and Mythrii didn't like it. He was constantly changing from friendly to flirty to angry to ignorant. She was not used to such drama from anyone…not even a Human and it was beginning to tire her mind as she tried to keep up with his ever shifting moods. She didn't recall Ghaliri being like this but she could only hope that he was not the exception when it came to Trolls.

"Dere's Bambala" the Druid inclined his head to the hill just up the road, the lights were glowing brightly like a beacon in the evening sky "we're a little late, but dere's bound ta be someone still awake at dis hour. 'Specially since dey so close to da city"

The woman looked down to her lap, where the little cub had long since fallen asleep. It had been yowling hungrily a few hours before but neither of them had anything to give him. Zenji had not been willing to waste time hunting anything for the little thing and Mythrii's bag with the Moongraze meat was still back at Hemet's camp. Eventually the baby had tired itself out but she could feel its tiny stomach rumbling when she covered it with her hand.

"Will they have beds spare?" she asked the man.

"I dunno. Would'a thought so but den again I never been here befer, I dunno how tings are"

"Bother" the lilac hued woman huffed "sleeping on dirt once again most likely, what I would give for something soft to lay on if only for a short while"

The Darkspear grinned "I'm soft" he only got a snort in response and grumbled "I said I was sorry"

"That's not the point"

He jogged up to where two Trolls were standing in front of the first bridge that would take them to the town, spears in hand but wide awake despite the late hour. They jumped to attention and brandished the bladed edges of their weapons; Mythrii squealed and covered her face with her hands.

"_Easy, easy. She's with me, we've been sent here to warn you of an impending attack by the Trolls of Zul'Gurub. Who's in charge here?_"

The one on the left lowered his spear and sat back down "_I suppose that'll be Surkhan_"

"_Where is he?_"

"_Probably in his hut over on the far side of the village, he might be sleeping but I can't be sure_"

"_Alright. I'll see if I can find him_"

"_Eh, eh. Where'd you think that Draenei is going? She can't go in there_"

Zenji turned to the guard with a sly grin "_don't worry, brother. She's no harm_" he finished speaking with a wink, the guard smirked in response.

"_Ah…I got you. Go on then, keep an eye on her though unless you feel like sharing_"

"_Will do_" as they passed into the village the Shaman peeked through her long fingers and sighed in relief.

"What did they say?"

"Ya really gotta work on yer Zandali"

"You were speaking too fast!" she whined.

He chuckled "dey said we gotta find a Troll named Surkhan, he seems ta be da run runnin' da place. He got a hut over on da far side so we'll see if he's awake"

"And if he's not?"

"Den we'll have ta wake him ourselves"

"I don't think waking a him would be a good idea…"

"Hush" he chuckled.

* * *

"This looks like da place" Zenji waltzed up the steps and pushed through the beads covering the front doorway, as he entered the small living area he reared back so that his body could shift from a stag back into a humanoid. Mythrii squeaked as she slid off him but the male quickly snatched her to his side with his long arm and swung her around so he was cradling her against his chest.

"Wipe that smirk off your face…that wasn't funny in the least!"

"It was a little funny" he argued with a snicker. The Draenei sighed and hugged the tiny panther cub against her breast, it had been rudely awoken by the sudden movements and was mewling unhappily "shut dat ting up would ya? I doubt dis guy is gonna wanna hear dat when we wake him"

Mythrii raised her blond brow but didn't respond to him, instead choosing to tend to the little baby "shhhh…little one" she cooed, rubbing it behind the ears. It hiccupped and snuggled into her.

"Since he ain't down here…he gotta be upstairs. And since it's quiet Zenji gonna go ahead and assume he ain't wid nobody" the white haired male started up the spiralling bamboo staircase that circled around the outside of the two story house.

Troll houses were simple. Usually they were just small huts depending on whether the owner lived alone or was a couple. For bigger families there were more extravagant builds with second floors or extra rooms off the side of the main room that served as a family room or kitchen. Chieftains or members of high esteem had even better houses with separate rooms downstairs and sometimes even an indoor cooking pit.

This house was somewhere between the last two types. It had an upstairs and there was a separate main room and kitchen downstairs but that was all the house had. There were no extra rooms or indoor cooking pits. Mythrii glanced back as they turned the corner and wondered briefly where the washroom was.

The loud snore shook the floor as the pair reached the top. In the middle of the room on a large straw bed mattress was a huge male Troll. Stretched out on his back with his mouth wide open as he slept, it reminded her of Zenji.

He had messy blue hair and his skin was a lighter hue of bruised purple-blue. There were pink and white smudges over his chin and nose…the remains of some sort of face paint perhaps?

"Alright, pet, Zenji put ya down over here by da stairs. Mind yer hoof now, just keep yer weight off it and when we done here maybe we get someting ta get da stone out, ya?"

"Yeah…" she wobbled when he set her down, one arm still precariously clutching the baby panther as her other one grabbed the edge of the wall. Troll houses didn't have windows; instead they cut out sections of the wall to let cool air in since most Trolls lived in hotter climates.

The Druid didn't let on to Mythrii how he felt. But he was rather nervous about approaching this sleeping Troll. He was twice the size of the Darkspear and Zenji wasn't exactly short to his Tribe, he assumed this fellow had some other blood in him, pure Gurubashi most likely considering the location.

"Alright brutha…" he tapped the other Troll with his foot but he merely snored on, another harder kick bore nothing and Zenji was beginning to see why the woman had almost suffocated him the other night. Trolls were hard to wake when they chose to sleep deep. He wasn't keen to try the Shaman's trick though; it would most likely get him his arm torn off in a brutal fashion that he wasn't interested in going through, especially since it would take months for the limb to re-grow.

After a few considerable minutes of kicking the male in the ribs, getting stronger each time, he had made no progress and his toes were hurting. Finally he squatted down and groaned loudly "what's wrong?" the female asked softly.

The Darkspear looked over at her with his amber gaze. Eyes running down her curvaceous form before lingering on her long legs "ah…" he hummed "I got an idea" she blinked her glowing eyes quickly "lotta men can't resist a pretty woman…"

"Oh!" the Shaman blushed.

"Unfortunately we only got you; but I'm sure we can pull off some sort of 'exotic' crap if ya just work yer charms on his sleepin' head"

"What do you mean 'unfortunately'?"

He waved her over to his side "just hobble yer ass dis way and start saying sweet nuthin's in his ear. I guarantee he'll wake up ta da sound a woman by his bed"

"Ugh" Mythrii tentively waddled towards the pair of males and eased herself down onto the floor opposite Zenji "what do I say?"

Resting his chin on his fist, the Druid furrowed his brow "ain't ya never said sweet tings ta a man befer?"

She tapped her lip "no…wait…yes I have! Just once though…"

"Den say what ya said ta him"

"Oh, very well then…my Zandali isn't very good but I'm sure I can remember what I said that time"

"Zandali?" the lavender skinned man repeated but she didn't acknowledge him.

She cleared her throat "ahem" tapping the hollow above her Adams apple the woman leant over the sleeping Troll and began to whisper in his ear. Zenji could see her jaw wagging as she spoke but he could not hear what was being said.

He fidgeted awkwardly and looked down into his lap with a frown. If she was speaking Zandali then did that mean she'd once said these words to a Troll at some point previously? If so, who? And why?

Was it someone from the Earthen Ring perhaps? It would make the most sense.

"Hrg…" the sleeping male groaned and lifted one of his hulking arms up to rub his head "_that sounds amazing. Who-_" his dark eyes slipped open "_ah…Thaalia. I knew you'd reconsider_" the large male smirked and clapped his hand over Mythrii's rounded backside with the intent of pulling her closer.

She squealed loudly and pushed against his chest, Zenji snarled and dived over the other man to separate the two figures "_get off you great oaf! She's not for you!_"

"_By the Loa…who the fuck are you?_"

The Draenei had scooted away out of the big Trolls' reach and was blushing profusely as she struggled to hide her embarrassment behind her parted hair, her fingers playing with the soft fur of the panther cub "tell him I'm sorry…"

"Tell him yer-self!" the Druid snapped "since ya speak Zandali so well!" she jumped and stared at him.

"Someone tell me what da hell is goin' on right now or I'm throwin' both of yer out on yer asses and lettin' da jungle have ya!"

"Oh my goodness!" the Shaman gasped "you speak Orcish!"

"Yeah, and I…hey…" the blue skinned male finally took a proper look at the woman "hell, you're gorgeous! What in Loa's name are ya doin' wid dis runt?" he jerked a thumb at Zenji, who smacked it away with another feral growl "so what exactly is da reason yer wakin' me up in da middle of da night by whisperin' dem nice tings in me ear?"

So they'd been 'nice things' supposedly?

"_We're here to-_"

"Not you!" the Troll bared his teeth at the Druid "I was talkin' ta da lovely lady"

Mythrii giggled behind her hand shyly and blushed indigo once more, this time for a different reason "we should probably move to another locale, I'm sure this must be embarrassing for you…um…I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"I'm Surkhan, hun. But despite what ya tink, I'm perfectly comfortable right here wid ya"

"Well I ain't!" Zenji got to his feet and stalked over to the lilac hued woman "you wanna know why we woke ya? Come downstairs ta find out" with that he snatched up the Draenei and stomped down the bamboo steps to the lower level.

Surkhan ran a hand through his flattened Mohawk and sighed. It might be some sort of trap but he was sure he could fight off the two of them by himself, and besides, if it looked like he was in any sort of trouble one yell and the guards would come running. He was sort of curious to know why a Troll and a Draenei were not only together, but seeking him out. It was obviously important enough that they couldn't wait until morning…

* * *

"Ow…OW!"

"Sorry, sorry"

Zenji lifted Mythrii's leg higher in an attempt to see between the bloodied hoof and shoe, but the candle he'd lit wasn't giving the best light for him to try and pick out the stone she still insisted was trapped there. He pried the broken part of the shoe off as carefully as he could with his large, clumsy looking fingers but it was impossible to see. It would need to be cleaned before he had any sort of chance to help.

"Alright…I came down. So tell me what dis all be about?"

The Druid looked over his shoulder towards the bottom of the stairs "ya could have at least put on clothes"

"I'm wearin' clothes, mon" Surkhan snapped the waistband of his pants and smiled cheekily behind his crossed tusks.

"Ya know what I meant"

"I would'a worn more…but it's just so hot ta-night"

Zenji snorted and released Mythrii's ankle "ya tellin' him or shall I?"

"If you wouldn't mind…I want to try and get this stone out" she implored him politely, the man sniffed in annoyance but got up to walk over to the bigger male.

"Let's sit on da porch and talk"

"Ah…we havin' one of 'dose' talks. Fine, let me get ma pipe...ya want one?"

"Sure. _And let's speak like this whilst we out here. The Draenei doesn't speak Zandali well so if we talk fast she won't hear us_"

"_Why don't you want her to hear?_" Surkhan passed him a long stemmed pipe filled with various herbs as they sat side by side on the step outside the beaded door.

Curling his lip, the Darkspear glared at the huge Troll "_we're here because my Chief sent out an emissary to these jungles, we haven't heard from him though so I was sent to look for him and at the same time warn the various settlements about the impending attack by the Gurubashi of Zul'Gurub_"

"_Heh…you're a little late there, runt. Why'd you think I'm here? The Zandalar sent both me and my brother out years ago to watch over that place_"

"_Zandalar…you're a Zandalar?_"

The blue haired Troll furrowed his brow "_why do you seem surprised? Look at me; you think I'm anything but?_" Zenji puffed smoke out through his gritted teeth.

"_The Zandalar are the ones that gave the Gurubashi the power to stage the upcoming attack. They're re-summing the Blood-God Hakkar!_"

"_You don't think I know that? We were sent away from the Island long ago; in that time I've learnt that those huge quakes recently caused the landmass to begin to sink. Many of my people escaped and settled in other areas…some even here in Stranglethorn. The King is presumed dead or dying and another was placed in his steed, __**he's **__the one that's trying to join all the old Tribes together again_"

Zenji scowled "_so…why are you still here?_"

"_Because I have nothing to return to. The Island is gone and with it the history of my Tribe and our people. My only wife was with child when I was told to come here. If I had known then what I know now, I would have insisted she travel with me. I've searched the Stranglethorn settlements and sent word out to other regions of the world asking for her but to no end. I don't even know if she's still alive_" the Zandalar took a deep inhale from his pipe and exhaled through his large nose.

The Druid tapped his large tusk with his own pipe "_what did the Draenei say to you?_"

"_Why'd you want to know?_"

"_Just tell me_" he bit out.

Surkhan chuckled and shook out some ash "_why don't you ask her yourself?_"

"_She wouldn't tell me_"

"_What're you doing together? You said you were sent out to find this emissary so what's her reason for travelling with you? Is she your woman?_" the clench of Zenji's jaw told the blue skinned humanoid what he wanted to know "_so she's not your woman. See, that just makes things more interesting_"

"_Just tell me what she said you overgrown gorilla!_"

With a roll of his dark blue eyes, Surkhan opened his mouth "_I don't really know to be honest. Her accent is terrible but whatever she was saying sounded poetic…I think it was something like 'I smell the scent of victory on your skin. Your foes fall at the might of your spear. Their blood quenches the thirst of our dry crops, it feeds the souls of our children' that was all I really heard_"

"_That's a Gurubashi Soothsong!_" Zenji cried in disbelief.

"_A Soothsong?_"

"_You've never heard of them?_"

The blue skinned Troll shrugged "_if my Tribe didn't have them, we must not have needed them. What is it?_"

"_They're short songs or poems that women sing to their husbands to calm the bloodlust or berserker rage they might be feeling after some sort of conflict. I heard my mother sing one once to my father when I was just a boy after he returned from one of the many battles he experienced before the Darkspear joined the Horde_"

"_I see…_" Surkhan muttered "_how strange…_"

"_What?_"

"_Are you envious?_"

"_WHAT?_"

"_Do you wish she'd said it to you instead, this 'Soothsong'? It was rather beautiful sounding even with her atrocious manner of speech; I doubt my repetition of it was anywhere near as lovely_"

Zenji growled furiously "_I just wanted to know what she said. Stop reading so much into it_"

The Zandalar snickered behind a cloud of exhaled smoke "_you can stay in my house tonight but tomorrow you'll be in the refugee huts. I'll bring a hammock down for the two of you, you must be tired. Unless you'd rather sleep alone_"

"_Not me. The Draenei, she's probably had her fill of me these past couple of days. Give the woman her own hammock_"

The bigger of the two hummed "_I'll do one better. She can have my bed and the two of us can sleep down here_"

"_That's very generous of you…_"

"_What can I say? I'm a generous Troll_" Surkhan dabbed out the last embers in his pipe and got to his feet, with a grin he pushed through the beaded curtain into the house "leave ya foot alone, hun, keep playin' wid it like dat and yer only gonna make it worse"

Mythrii looked up with a teary expression "I can't get it out! I have to get it out or it's going to get stuck down under the other half of my shoe and then I'll have to remove it and there's no one in this damned jungle that knows how to work metal shoes!"

"Can't ya just walk wid-out dem? Seems silly ta me ta wear little tings of metal on yer hooves. Just causin' problems" Zenji sighed as he came towards her, crouching down to take a look "see? It's all swollen now, leave it be fer now and we get da stone out in da mornin' light"

"I can't walk without them! My hooves would split because this planet can't seem to decide on what sort of terrain it wants! One minute it's snowy, the next there's a desert or a barrens! I don't know how anyone can stand it!"

The Trolls chuckled "ya get used ta it. Come on, pet, up ya come" the Druid lifted her up and stepped back to catch his balance "Surkhan says ya can have his bed, we be sleepin' down here-"

"Oh!" she clapped a hand over her mouth "no, no! I don't want to impose!"

"It's nuthin' of da sort, hun" Surkhan smiled warmly "much betta fer ya ta be in a bed on da ground rather den climbin' in and out a hammock. 'Specially wid dat awful foot of yers"

Her cheeks darkened slightly "thank you, Surkhan. Goodnight" she waved politely as she vanished up the stairs "and goodnight to you too Zenji"

"Yeah, yeah" the white haired male muttered whilst half dropping her onto the bed before turning tail and stomping back below.

* * *

Rose: This chapter went on forever! There was another scene planned but I've decided to put it in the next one instead.

Review please!


	13. Chapter 13

Rose: Thanks for reviewing last time if you did and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

The temperature had dropped drastically as the night wore on. Jungles were naturally hot and humid during daylight hours but when the sun vanished to the other side of the world any lingering heat quickly vanished to be replaced by bitter chills.

Mythrii, who for most of her life had been pampered with warm eternal spring nights in Nagrand, was particularly sensitive to the cold nights of Azeroth like most of her kind was. Azuremyst Isle had a similar climate to her old homeland which gave her a sense of nostalgia but it was still slightly cooler.

So now, wrapped up in the thin blanket left for her, the Draenei shivered violently and tucked herself into a ball in the middle of the bed. The past few nights she'd slept beside a huge Troll who gave off enough warmth to keep her cosy without even needing to touch him; ignoring the previous night where she'd slept in his lap.

Sitting up she huffed and pulled the covers over her head like a hood before clambering to her feet, stumbling slightly when her injured one had too much pressure placed on it, and began to hobble down the stairs; trying, and failing, to not make too much noise. Behind her there was a tiny squeak as the panther gave chase, only just realising that she had moved.

The Shaman slipped and skidded down the last couple of steps noisily but both Trolls, draped comfortably in their hammocks one in each corner beside the front door, merely dozed on with their snores shaking the very foundations of the house.

She whimpered slightly once back on her feet and poked the sleeping Zenji "you wouldn't happen to know where Surkhan keeps extra blankets would you?" she asked quietly. Logic would dictate to ask the owner of the house but he had already been awoken once before and Mythrii felt it would be unfair to wake him again. Besides, surely Zenji, being a Troll himself, would know where such things were kept? There weren't that many places to hide things in this little house but she didn't want to go snooping.

The Darkspear muttered something unintelligible and waved his arm so she tapped him again, this time on his cheek just above where his tusk protruded. Again he groaned and this time lifted the covers "_get in_"

"I think you've misunderstood me…I don't want your covers I just want-"

"_Get in and sleep. Zenji's tired_"

She strained to hear him as he was so quiet, not to mention his speaking Zandali, but finally she re-wrapped her own blanket around herself more securely to cover up her mail armour, hooked her right leg into the edge of the hammock and used it to heave herself up beside him by bouncing on her left. Thank the Light it was her foot and not her knee that had been injured.

Mythrii ungracefully flopped into his side but was unable to right herself before the Druid had dropped his duvet and linked his arm around her shoulder to give her a light squeeze "much better" the blond woman smiled as she closed her eyes, already she could feel his body heat seeping into her.

"_Sleep_" he grunted again, tucking his other arm beneath his head to pillow it and turning his face away. The crystal charm on his tusk swung in the air and caught the light from a citrus candle outside, used to catch insects, making it spread it's pretty purple patterns across the wall.

Over in the other hammock, Surkhan chuckled and crossed his ankles under the covers "_stupid runt_" he sighed to himself and closed his blue eyes to go back to sleep.

"Mew"

"_Eh?_" he popped them open again and peered over towards the couple, circling beneath them was a tiny black cub; it mewled and cried as it jumped up and tried to catch the hammock with its claws "_haha, little thing_" lowering his arm over the edge, the Zandalar clicked his fingers and make a few kissy noises to attract the baby's attention, it worked like a charm and the cub ran towards him "_come 'ere_" lifting it by the scruff of its neck, Surkhan dumped the baby on his belly and rubbed it behind its ear with his large finger "_you're a cute little thing, aren't you? I wonder where did the woman found you then, she's no Hunter like me. You'll probably grow into a big boy, won't you? Yeah, you'd make a great pet_" it purred and licked his thumb before wrapping its paws around his hand and nuzzling down to sleep.

"_Hm…Sulynn you know I hate to cuddle_"

The Hunter craned his neck to peer back over towards the Troll and Draenei, the former had taken his arm away and laid it across his stomach but the latter was still cuddled into his side, completely sound.

Sulynn sounded like a female name. Why was Zenji saying another woman's name when there was a perfectly good one already in his arms?

* * *

Zenji hadn't had such a good nights sleep in days. It felt heavenly to lie in something Troll sized that gave him enough room to snooze comfortably, not to mention he had a hammock back in the Echo Isles so sleeping like this gave him a sense of home.

Flicking his amber orbs open, he glanced around and yawned widely before sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. It was mid morning judging by the shadows, he usually awoke earlier but it was understandable that his body had given him a lie in. He'd needed it.

"_Ah…you're up_" Surkhan waltzed into the house with his usual grin "_you must have been tired_"

The Druid cracked his neck and sighed, when he was done he took a good look at the other Troll "_is that the Draenei's cat?_"

Reaching up, the blue haired male petted the cub sitting on his shoulder "_cute isn't he? Mythrii said I could have him, she's not capable of taking care of him as much as she'd love to. And as a Hunter I can train him to be a loyal partner_"

"_You call her by her name?_"

"_She said I could, don't you?_"

He shrugged "_usually just call her 'pet'_" running a hand through his own long hair, Zenji pulled it out of the braid and began to retie it messily "_where is she, anyway?_"

Now Surkhan shrugged "_probably over in the woman's quarters. She woke up and went off to help them make breakfast a couple hours ago but I don't know where she is now. She can't have gone far_"

"_She made breakfast! I missed breakfast? Why didn't you wake me?_"

He inclined his shoulders "_figured you'd wake up in your own time. Besides, you looked pretty happy all snuggled up in her blanket_"

The Darkspear looked down at his lap, her blanket? Then he realised he had two duvets bundled up in his hammock but he could have sworn he'd only had one when he'd gone to bed the previous night "_huh?_"

"_Heh. And to think you were jealous over a little song…that woman couldn't even last one night away from you. First chance she got she came crawling into your bed whining she was cold, Loa knows she could have just asked me for more blankets but no, no, she wanted you_"

Zenji snorted "_real funny, dickhead_"

"_Why so hostile? That woman is like putty_" Surkhan scratched his chest and turned back to the front door "_you want some food or what? I doubt there'll be any left if you stay in bed_"

"_Fine, fine_" swinging himself out of the hammock, the Druid landed heavily on the floor and rolled his shoulders as he followed the Zandalar out into the village "_I don't suppose we'll be staying much longer. I'll get that stone out of her hoof, give her a days rest and we'll be gone by dawn tomorrow_"

"_Where will you go next?_"

"_The Grom'gol Base Camp_"

He burst into laughter "_you're taking her __**there**__? Haha, say goodbye to her while you still can, runt! One look at her and there'll be a riot!_" the smaller of the two growled and bared his teeth in a feral manner "_and don't give me that look! You know everyone there will want to fuck her six ways from Friday, you don't really believe you could fight them all off do you?_"

"_If it comes to that I suppose I'll have to. If she's being fucked she can't walk which will just slow us down, I'm tired of carrying her and getting no rubdowns in return. And that's not a euphemism_"

"_Unless you were doing the fucking, right brother?_"

"_I didn't say that_"

"_So you wouldn't take her?_"

"_Well…_" Zenji hummed with a short jerk of his shoulders "_I mean...if she offered I wouldn't say no_"

The Hunter smirked "_neither would I. Draenei have great tits but Loa forbid any of them let me have 'em_"

"_Hm. I wonder why that is…couldn't be your fetching personality_"

"_Bite me, runt_" the blue haired one snapped "_besides, I thought Darkspear were monogamous_"

The white haired one furrowed his brow "_we are…_" he said slowly.

"_So why would you fuck her when you've got a woman waiting for you back home?_"

"_What!_" he cried incredulously "_I don't-_"

"_Who's Sulynn then?_"

Surkhan watched the air leave Zenji's lungs as he stopped sort and chocked on saliva, obviously this name meant something important "_how do you-_"

"_You said it last night. Who is she if not your woman then?_"

The Druid set his jaw and grinded his teeth "_none of your business_" he spat finally as he shoved past the bigger male towards the hut they'd been making their way towards.

He hadn't gone more than a few steps before a distinctly non-Troll figure stumbled out of the doors and hobbled down the steps "Zenji? Oh good you're up!" the Draenei half hopped towards him and shoved a plate of vegetable porridge into his hands "I saved this for you, good thing too since there's nothing left and I knew you'd be hungry when you finally did get up" he looked down at the green tinged food and felt his stomach rumble.

"Eh…yer foot-"

"Yes, the stone moved I think so I'll be okay for a little while. I need to clean it though, everyone keeps pointing at it and asking me something but I can't understand…I think I heard the word 'lick' though but I can't be sure since it sounds very similar to 'stew' but that word isn't much better and actually makes me worry a little bit, do they want to stew my foot? That'd be awful because I still need it. Have you ever seen a hoofed animal with fewer legs than it needs? That's because we can't walk with less legs than we were born with, our balance would just be atrocious even with the tail-"

"Yer babbling"

"Oh!" she clapped her hands to her mouth and flushed "sorry. Anyway, here" she pulled out a small stack of papers she'd tucked into the side of her loincloth "I've written out a letter for Hemet explaining everything that happened to Grent and Mauti. You can fly this to his camp and give it to him…oh, and don't forget to collect my bag too, please"

Balancing his porridge in one hand, Zenji slurped some of it and grabbed the letter with his other hand "dis is, like, six pages!"

"Well, I said I had to explain everything. I couldn't leave anything out, especially since you can't speak Common so you wouldn't be able to answer any questions if he were to ask. I believe I've covered everything but I did try to cap myself…I felt six pages was enough"

"Bah…" he pushed the now empty bowl back into her chest and folded the thick letter up to slide it inside his leather tunic for safekeeping "fine. I'll play Postmaster fer ya" his long ear twitched as he heard someone come up behind them "but only if ya kiss me"

Mythrii blinked her moon glow eyes "why on Azeroth would you want me to kiss you?"

"Fer…luck. Tis a Troll ting, all dem tings out in da jungle waitin' ta kill us. Da Panthers and da Gurubashi…just give us a little kiss ta keep me safe" he dropped his voice to a purr and leaned down expectantly.

"Hm…I don't recall ever hearing of such a tradition" the Shaman mused as she tapped her dark lips with her nail "wouldn't it be preferable to have a Troll kiss you instead? Ah Surkhan! Zenji needs a kiss for good luck, would you give him one?"

"A kiss fer luck?" the Zandalar echoed "who ever heard o' such a ting?"

The Druid growled "forget it! Zenji just go wid-out, but maybe he forget yer bag since he so afraid da Panthers gonna get him, huh?"

"Wait…I don't-" the woman didn't get a chance to continue because the Darkspear pushed her aside and stomped off over to the bridges "what…did I do something wrong?"

She looked up at the other Troll who shook his head "nah…he just grouchy. Come on, hun, shall we get dat stone outta yer foot?"

"Okay…"

* * *

"Now, hun, da ting Zenji fer-got ta do wid yer foot…was soak it" Surkhan said smugly. They sat at the back of his house where his fire-pit was located; two logs were either side of the stones that surrounded the large slab where the Troll was boiling a pot of water hanging from a frame "see, ya can't expect ta get dat stone out if da flesh if it's all swollen and sore. First we soak it in da warm water ta loosen all da tried blood and hard skin, den we can get a knife in dere ta pop it out"

"A knife…" the lilac skinned woman said nervously, her lids lowering slightly to indicate she was looking at his large hands.

The Hunter laughed heartily "I know what'cha tinkin', hun. Ya tinkin' 'how he gonna do dat wid-out cuttin' me leg off'…ya tink I'm clumsy"

"Well…your fingers aren't exactly 'dainty' are they?" she smiled shyly "no offence meant of course"

"None taken"

The dark skinned male used a, relatively, clean piece of rag to wipe off the now jelly like blood out of the thin feathery hairs that hung over her hooves, he paused after a couple swipes and stared before his eyes widened "is something wr-"

"Why is it blue?"

"What?"

"Yer blood!"

She laughed "oh, I keep forgetting that isn't the norm on this planet. Most beings on Azeroth have red blood don't they?"

"So…all Draenei got blue blood?"

"Yes" Mythrii smiled in confirmation before it dropped "is there something wrong with blue blood?"

Surkhan shook his head, Mohawk waving "nah, nah. Tis just weird is all, I never seen such a ting, it looked all black when it was dry on ya foot…da same as red blood" he moved the rag under to clean around her shoe "did ya know most Trolls use blood in all dere ceremonies?"

"Well…I know the Bloodscalp tribe have an odd fascination with it. It's a long story, but I was taken captive by them a few years ago, they were going to kill me until I cut myself on a rock and suddenly they wanted me to live and were trying to give me to their Chieftain!"

"Ha! Sounds like most Trolls really. Blood centralism is quite apparent in Gurubashi culture; I ain't sure 'bout de Amani but we Zandalar make use of it during marriages and da like. Blood is life, it carries ya ancestors in it and ta lose it is ta lose a piece of ya soul. It's ya very essence…dere's a reason Hakkar feeds on it"

Picking up a skinning knife, Surkhan slowly pried her metal shoe off the base of her foot so he could slide the blade in on its side and tap until he found the stone whereby he gently popped it from where it had pressed into the flesh.

"Do you know anything of…the Bloodlord Mandokir?"

His hand slipped but thankfully the sharp edge of the blade only cracked against her metal shoe "what'd ya know 'bout him? Why'd ya wanna know 'bout him?"

"It's another long story"

"We got time, hun"

Mythrii pressed her lips together and winced when her foot was lowered down to soak in a different pot filled with cold water to ease the swelling "when I was last here in Stranglethorn…I was sent to the Rebel Camp up north. I wasn't received very well as Humans are still mostly untrustworthy of Draenei due to our resemblance to some Demons. After a few days I was permitted to travel to some ruins with two others from the camp, Lieutenant Doren and a Gnome named Osborne. Whilst there, I found a skull in a pile and…it spoke to me"

"I can already see dat dis ain't gonna end well"

"He…he had a sad story. Or so I thought, he told me his name was Mandokir and that years ago the Bloodscalp had killed him. I felt very sorry for him, but he was quite charming to talk with especially since no one would speak with me at the Camp. When I was taken captive by the Bloodscalp along with Osborne he told me what to say in Zandali to keep the Chieftain from hurting me…"

"He told ya dat song…da one ya said ta me"

"Yes…I…I thought he was a friend. He told me he just wanted to cross over to the afterlife, so I began collecting things to help him. Herbs and 'juju' with the help of a small raptor and an unwitting Osborne…to my horror though, I discovered he was actually manipulating me to help bring him back to life. I'd even supplied him a body as the Bloodscalp Chieftain's one had been taken with us by Doren. He took the little raptor with him and told me not to come back here to Stranglethorn or he'd do worse than kill me. But he already knows I'm here…"

"Da Bloodlord ain't someone ya should'a got messed up wid. He was da one dat drained da blood fer Hakkar…he can pull it from yer body as ya live and breath and use it ta heal or power himself. He's an evil Troll and it was a relief to all when he was killed…and ya brought him back"

"Yes…" Mythrii whispered shakily "I didn't know…I was still new to this world and I just wanted to help everyone. He made me feel for him, I thought he cared about me as a friend…we used to talk for hours and had such wonderful conversations. If I'd had known what kind of man he was I would have tossed his skull into the sea and never looked back"

"And now yer here, warnin' people 'bout da danger **you **brought here"

"It was an accident…"

"Don't change da fact it was yer fault" he lifted her foot and began to dry it off before using his knife to press the shoe back against her hoof and hammer the nails in as well as they would go.

Mythrii sniffed "don't tell Zenji" she begged "I don't know what he'd say…he'd be so mad…so disappointed"

Surkhan sighed and stretched his back "why'd ya care what he tinks?"

"Because when we ran into Mandokir a few days ago, he was so furious with me. If he were to know the truth about…everything…I-I don't know what I'd say or do"

He rubbed his eyes "alright, hun, yer secret safe wid me"

* * *

Rose: That's it for this chapter, hope you enjoyed it. As you can see, we've gotten some insight into Mythrii's past with Mandokir!

Review please.


	14. Chapter 14

Rose: Thank you for all the reviews and hits and whatnot, I'm glad you're liking this enough to keep reading even though the drivel. I updated a little later this time, my bad guys.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

Just a heads up. The next 3 or so chapters, including this one, were written when I was in a LOT of pain due to a wisdom tooth. So I apologise is the quality of qriting isn't that good :-(

* * *

Running a hand through her hair, Mythrii sighed and craned her neck to look out towards the sun. It had passed overhead at its highest point and was beginning to set but the heat still bore down on her uncomfortably; Bambala was very open whereas the paths through the Jungle she and Zenji had been walking on were sheltered by the thick leaves.

Her skin was shining with sweat and her hair was damp and heavy with dirt and grease. She had never felt so unclean before.

She had spent most of the day hiding within Surkhans' house and having grown bored sitting in his living room with nothing do to she'd cleaned it for him. Boiling water on his outdoor fire pit to scrub the floors with and even cleaning his bedding to hang up outside where it would dry within a couple hours. She debated using more water to wash herself with but it was Surkhan's own supply she was using, and using it to wash and clean his home was different to using it for herself.

"Eh, hun…how's yer foot doin'?" Mythrii looked up from where she was wiping over the small table in the kitchen "hey!" he blinked at her and looked around before his jaw dropped "did ya clean me whole house?"

"Yes…" she replied slowly "is that alright? I just…I was bored and needed something to do because when I go outside the heat just kills me but sitting here doing nothing was awful and-"

"Eh, eh! It's fine, hun" he waved his hands at her to calm her down "just never seen it so damn clean is all; Hu'rala never lifts a bloody finger in dis place, can't blame her since she ain't me wife but still…it's nice ta have a woman doin' woman tings fer once"

The Draenei coughed "well, I wasn't really doing it for-"

"Ya even cleaned me bed!" he yelled from the floor above, having gone snooping to see how much she'd really done "I can't remember da last time me bed was cleaned!"

"Yes…" the lilac skinned woman muttered to herself "I could tell that last night"

He hurried back to the living room "Loa, woman! What da Hell do ya see in Zenji? I'd give anyting ta have a woman like you; ya wouldn't tink about stayin' wid me would ya? It'd be a dream!"

"Oh Light…that's a lovely offer Surkhan" she giggled politely and tugged some hair across her face to hide a blush "you're very nice, but I'm afraid I could never live in a place like this. Not to say your house isn't nice, it is, but the location is all wrong and by A'dal I can't find a washroom for the life of me!" she paused "wait…what did you say about Zenji?"

"A washroom?" the blue haired male crossed his arms "what's a washroom?"

"It's a room…where one washes"

"Why'd ya need a room just fer dat?"

"I…um…" she shrugged "it's just the way we do things. You don't have one I take it? How to Trolls bathe then?"

The Hunter shrugged "usually by swimmin'. But I suppose dat ain't gonna be good enough fer ya?"

"It doesn't sound awfully clean" she admitted "would I be allowed to boil some water perhaps? Just enough to wipe away some of this grime and perhaps lessen that awful smell"

Surkhan strolled over and crouched down beside the smaller woman and sniffed "I don't smell nuthin'"

"You don't? I reek!"

"Of what?" he inhaled again, strong enough to lift a few stands of hair off her scalp.

"Of…everything! Dirt and blood and…and whatever that musty odour is!"

"Troll sweat" he answered for her shortly..

"Ugh!" Mythrii squealed with a shudder "Troll sweat? Disgusting…it must have rubbed off of Zenji, ick"

Scratching his chin under his outwardly crossed tusks, the Zandalar shrugged "I tink it smells nice"

"I guess we just have different ideas of what constitutes nice. Now, about that water?"

He waved his hand "sure, sure, knock yer-self out"

"Oh thank you, Surkhan!" she jumped up, swaying slightly on her still uneasy hoof, and hurried out with her pot to collect fresh water from his barrel outside to boil it on the fire, he followed her to the back and lit up his long stem pipe before taking a seat on the step. It took a moment for her to notice him "what…are you going to watch me?"

The Troll exhaled dark grey smoke "why, is dat a problem?"

"Well…it's a little odd"

"Are ya gonna strip?"

She flushed darkly "n-no"

"Good, cause if ya were I'd recommend ya wash inside. I'm only gonna keep an eye on ya, Loa forbid anyting happens whilst yer focused on other tings"

"Just don't…please don't stare or anything. It'll make me feel awkward. I'm not used to other people being around me whilst I try to wash"

"Trolls wash in groups. We consider it a compliment when a man watches a woman; it means he thinks she's attractive"

The Shaman smiled wryly, pulled her pot of water off the fire and swirled her cloth around it before wringing it out "Draenei would consider that strange" she paused for a moment and then chuckled "does that mean you think I'm attractive?" she teased.

"Heh…ya got many sides, hun" the blue skinned man sniggered "ya, alright den…I tink yer good lookin' but I ain't watchin' ya fer dat. I tink ya would make a good wife, to a Troll at least since it seems yer cleanin' is beyond da bar and from what I been hearin' 'bout breakfast it seems yer a good cook too. Yer da one dat made da porridge, right?" she nodded shyly and wiped down her arms "two outta three ain't bad; ya would make a good prize fer any Troll"

"Two out of three? What's the…oh" she trailed off and smiled "of course no one knows how good I am at the third"

"Haha…" Surkhan slapped his thigh, the ash in his pipe flying out into the air "ah, ya got one Hell of a sense of humour, hun. Like I said, ya would be a damn good wife to a Troll but I doubt dat's a goal in yer life, right?" Mythrii giggled again and flushed "but if it ever does enter ya radar I'd be happy ta help ya wid dat last ting"

The Draenei quirked her lips "that's very kind of you Surkhan but I don't think I'll ever be taking you up on that"

He gave a wry smile and stared at her, chewing his pipe mutely as she wiped down over her stomach "why do Draenei bathe separately?" he asked suddenly, taking her by surprise.

She was silent as she tried to process the odd change of subject, but Surkhan's expectant face finally forced an answer "we have, as I said before, rooms especially for washing oneself and it's a private thing" Mythrii answered slowly.

"Yeah…but why?"

She glanced over her shoulder "why what?" rubbing her back the dirt gave way to fresh lilac skin.

"Why is it private?" Surkhan took another blow of his herbs "I mean, ya got da same tings as all de other women don't ya? Tits and a tail and dem little whisker tings?"

He'd made her blush again "yes"

"So why is it private? Why ya so ashamed?"

"We aren't ashamed" she was on her legs now and the water was getting cold "but washing has always been a private thing. Humans and Dwarves are the same, choosing to bathe away from others. We're not averse to washing with others in a group if it's convenient, we often do so in the Earthen Ring when we all meet together, but if given the choice we would rather be alone. It's a time of quiet where we can contemplate or pray…"

The Zandalar nodded "ah…dat makes sense, I suppose. Still seems a little strange ta me though"

It was shady around the back of Surkhans' house but the air was still hot. The water was cooler than the air around her so it gave a sense of relief on her skin. Although she did wish she could have had a full bath of some sort as the areas where her armour still remained were chaffing and rubbing raw with the trapped sweat. Perhaps when she and Zenji reached the Grom'gol Base Camp there would be somewhere she could soak? She could only hope.

Picking up the pot, Mythrii poured the dirty water over the fire and set it aside to clean it later; rubbing her arms she looked out over the ledge in the direction of Nesingwary hunting camp "do you think Zenji is alright? It's been a long time since he left…I thought it would only take a couple hours there and back if he flew"

Stamping out his pipe the blue skinned Hunter stood up "maybe he didn't fly?"

"He was so very upset when he left…are you sure I didn't do anything to anger him?"

"'E were teasin' ya, hun, askin' fer a kiss and all. 'E were just annoyed ya didn't do it and got embarrassed. I'm sure 'e's fine"

"If you're quite sure…I'm just a bit worried; what he said about the panthers and the Gurubashi is true and I'd hate to think something had happened to him"

Surkhan patted the Draenei on the back and smiled over his tusks "c'mon, da sun is settin' and da bonfire is bein' lit in da centre of da village. Dey gonna cook a spit roast so if ya get dere fast maybe ya can save some food fer da runt, eh?"

"Oh yes, that sounds like a good idea. Do you do this sort of thing every night?"

"Yeah, it's a nice way ta bring da whole village together since most of da Trolls here be refugees, either from Zul'Gurub itself or from da surroundin' tribes. We dance, we eat, we have…ahem…ya get da idea"

"It sounds like fun!"

* * *

It wasn't very fun.

Sure there was dancing and eating and whatnot. But Mythrii was quite obviously being left out.

Whether it was because she wasn't a Troll or maybe because she was an outsider either way, maybe they'd reject Zenji too but he wasn't here to see.

Picking at her pork, the Draenei would admit the food was delicious but without anyone to talk to or not being invited to dance meant it was of little comfort how full she was. Even Surkhan was off having fun and ignoring her, though she hoped it was merely because he was enjoying the company of the Priestess he was currently nuzzling up to and not because he really didn't like her.

With a sigh, she glanced around only for everyone around her to snap their necks to the side and pretend like they weren't staring. She understood that she was different, but Draenei had never done anything to Trolls so she couldn't understand why they wouldn't talk to her. She'd tried to initiate a few conversations with her limited Zandali, an attempt to prove she was available to talk, but they either turned their noses up or ignored her and all the while they whispered amongst themselves.

The Shaman pressed her lips into a flat line and huffed. The sun had long since set and the extra plate of food she'd saved for Zenji had gone cold but there was still no sign of him. Her stomach twisted at the though of something having happened to him.

What if he was out there hurt and alone? Unable to do anything as a crowd of Panthers circled around him, getting closer and closer until they-

"Pet"

Mythrii squealed and hugged herself as her head span wildly from side to side to see who had addressed her, she only saw the Tribe laughing both at her and other things and a pair of slouching knees clad in tanned leather. With a calming breath the woman looked up to see a white haired Troll staring at her with a confused expression, eyebrows raised and the side of his lip pulled up.

"Zenji?" she said "Zenji!" she would have jumped up to hug him but he was already getting down to sit beside her "what happened?" grabbing his arm she shook it angrily but he barely felt it "you've been gone all day, I was so worried something had happened to you! Why did you take so long?"

The Druid snorted and rolled his amber eyes "pfff" shrugging her off his arm he reached over his back and dumped a bag into her lap "dere, don't say I don't do nuthin' fer ya"

"My bag!" Mythrii clapped "thank you, Zenji. Oh, here I saved this for you with Surkhans' help" the Shaman handed over the plate she'd been holding, on it was half a rack of ribs and two slices from a boar rump. She watched his eyes light up before he snatched it off her and began to stuff it into his mouth, furiously tearing at the ribs and chewing the fat from the steaks, she grimaced slightly when some of it splashed onto her.

"Ah, yer an anfel, pef" he complimented through a mouthful and swallowed loudly whilst licking his lips messily "dis is just how I like it"

"I assume bloody is how most Trolls like their meat, considering nothing in this place is cooked properly…I'll admit it's tasty but it's most certainly an acquired taste"

He nodded, hair waving messily "yeah, yeah…acquired and considering tasty…whatever else ya said" he even crunched on the rib bones, leaving no trace of his meal behind.

Mythrii wiped a spec of meat from her thigh and forced a smile "so, about why it took you so long? I really was worried, especially with what you said about the Panthers and the Gurubashi-"

"It took so long 'cause Zenji wanted ta walk! What's wrong wid dat?"

She flinched and widened her eyes "n-nothing. I just wished you would have mentioned that you wanted to walk; I could have gone with you and avoided any awkwardness with Hemet over the letter. The only reason I wrote it is because I thought you were going to fly"

"T'was fine. Wasn't even dere dat long, he took it and I grabbed yer bag and was off" the Darkspear was busy licking his three fingered hands to clear them of the pork juices "hm…" when he was done he patted his belly, effectively ending the previous conversation "ah I miss Troll cooked food, Grom'gol ain't gonna have nuthin' like it" the Draenei sighed and Zenji felt his eyes pull in her direction, she looked downcast and was playing with the strap of her bag "what?"

"Hm?" she blinked at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh…nothing really, I'm just not having that much fun. Surkhan said there would dancing and-"

"What'd ya call dat?" he pointed over to the men and women spinning and swaying around the bonfire.

She shrugged "but I'm not dancing"

"There's nuthin' stoppin' ya!" he threw his hands up, were Draenei really supposed to be intelligent? This one seemed awfully stupid at times.

Mythrii dropped her bag strap and crossed her arms, turning away from her companion "they won't let me dance with them. Don't you think I've tried? When I get close they all walk off and I'm left alone, it's as if I'm plagued or something!"

Leaning back on his elbows, Zenji puffed his cheeks and belched "eh…I ain't much of a dancer, pet"

"What makes you think I'd want to dance with you?"

His face darkened "well it ain't like ya got much choice, ya stuck up goat!"

"There! Maybe I don't want to dance with you because you're so horrible, have you thought of that?" she accused angrily before her lip trembled and her voice lowered "you've been terribly mean these past couple of days, Zenji, yelling at me for saving your nose and making me walk with a stone in my hoof-"

"I **said** I was sorry!"

"-and calling me ugly!"

"Yeah well…ya are…compared to a Troll at least. C'mon, it ain't like ya don't think I look like a kodo's ass"

"But I don't say it!" the Shaman argued then she squeaked as he grinned.

"Ya just did" the lighter skinned woman stuttered "besides; I called ya 'damn fine' de other day too!"

"Only because you realised I didn't take kindly to being called raptor shit" she bit out and he was surprised at the tone she used.

He quirked his lips and chuckled as he pushed himself back up to sit as straight as a Troll could "alright, pet" the Druid purred, wrapping his arm around her side and pulling her against him "how about dis? Ya ain't ugly…least not all o' ya…"

She blew a childlike raspberry and he laughed whilst rubbing his hand over the dramatic curve of her waist "what're you doing?" she asked sharply.

"Hm…yer really soft" he muttered "it's nice…different. I ain't used ta soft women" his fingers were flexing on her skin but he didn't appear to be trying to grope her as she'd assumed, so Mythrii sighed and let herself relax into his side and under his arm. He noticed the change of body language and smiled to himself.

She too was smiling, but for a different reason "do you want to know what Surkhan told me earlier?"

"Not really" he grunted "but ya gonna tell me anyways…"

She tittered lightly "he said I'd make a good Troll wife" he turned his head to see her grinning at him "isn't that funny? He said I was a really good cleaner and cook"

"Cleaner?"

"Yes. I cleaned his house, it was so hot and sitting around was so boring! He was ever so grateful"

"Ya cleaned 'is house?" he stuck his lip out "he was just bein' nice, ya would make a shitty wife…don't know da first ting 'bout cookin' good food"

"I can cook! You've never had my cooking before"

The Troll snorted rudely "I bet it's all flowery like Night Elf food…ugh"

"I can cook some Night Elf cuisine, but you've never had Draenei recipes and I bet you'd love them. They're really spicy"

His ear perked "spicy? Hm…Zenji does like spicy" his gaze fell on the bag she'd placed to the side "ya got food in dat bag…is it Draenei?" he began reaching for it "let me try"

"Ah! No, no!" she slapped his hands away and swiped the bag to hug it to her chest with a frown "I'm saving those tenderloins"

"Oh…" he licked his lips "dere tenderloins? Dat sounds nice…"

"Yes! And maybe if you're nice to me I'll let you have some. Nira made them for me so I want to eat them only when I really need to"

Zenji stopped trying to wrestle the bag away from her when she said it was the Dwarf that had made them "so it ain't even yer cookin'? Fine, I don't want em den" he pushed the bag away and with it Mythrii.

"It's Draenei cuisine" she rolled her glowing eyes.

"Ya said ya would cook me Draenei food, I don't want some cheap Dwarf knock off"

"Goodness it's like arguing with a child" the blond couldn't help but smile despite herself "like I said, if you're nice to me you can have some tenderloin. Nira may have made them but I taught her how to do it in the first place, so by eating Nira's cooking you're really eating mine"

"Eh…" he waved his hand to indicate disbelief "fine, I'll be nice ta ya…how nice do ya mean?"

"No calling me ugly would be a good start"

"Fine, yer da most beautiful woman on Azeroth" he grinned insincerely and waggled his brow; she furrowed her own and huffed "what? I called ya beautiful! And tink about it, we be goin' ta Grom'gol tomorrow and everyone dere is gonna wanna fuck ya…dat means ya must be good lookin' right?"

"They're going to what?" she cried.

* * *

Rose: Thanks for reading, hope you liked it.

Review please!


	15. Chapter 15

Rose: Hello again and thanks for the reviews and whatnot.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

Surkhan had, none too nicely, kicked Mythrii and Zenji out of his house when they'd tried to retire. It wasn't as if Trolls were averse to having others around when they had sex but he tried to explain, impatiently, that he wanted some alone time for himself and the Priestess Hu'rala in his nice clean house.

The only other place to sleep was in the large refugee hut on the other side of the village, beds were pre-made they just had to claim some and with about half the village still dancing and drinking they felt confidant that there would be some beds free for them to have.

What they didn't expect was the huge number of couples that had taken over large areas of the rooms to engage in their…activities. There was only one room not crawling with half naked bodies but most of the beds were occupied in it. Zenji found one over on the far side by the wall, but that was it…he only found one. There wasn't a pair of beds beside one another.

The Druid rubbed the back of his head and shrugged "eh…ya slept wid me last night, ya can do it again dis one" he eyed her mail armour "is ya sleepin' in dat? Me skin may be thick, pet, but dat be pushin' it. An' dere be no extra blankets ta wrap around"

Mythrii looked down at her blue attire "if I removed some of it and just left the softer under shirt and loincloth would that be alright?"

Zenji stared at the woman in a silent daze for a minute "yeah" he swallowed finally.

The Draenei dropped her bag over by wall and opened it up to put away some of her gear, she pulled off her gloves and boots and packed them neatly on top of the food and civilian clothes already inside, then her leg guards followed and finally she unbuckled the top and slid it over her head, holding the fabric tube that made up the undershirt to keep it in place. Her little tiki necklace bounced against her stomach.

Zenji's mouth watered, he hadn't been lying when he'd said 'some' parts of her weren't ugly.

She glanced over and frowned "stop staring…" her arms came up to hug herself shyly.

He snapped back and wiped his chin "shuddit…I weren't staring" the male flopping down on the straw bedroll and crossed his arms behind his head, eyes fixed solely on the ceiling even as he felt her lie down beside him and tug the cover up, he pushed it over to her side which she thanked him quietly for.

With a sleepy sigh, Mythrii bid him goodnight and closed her bright eyes to drift off.

* * *

A jungle never sleeps.

No matter the time of day or night, there is always something sneaking, crawling, fluttering or slithering.

A small green snake slipped through the grasses at the feet of the bridge guards and made it's over towards the village of Bambala, pausing every so often to flick its tongue and gather its surroundings. When within the limits of the village it gracefully wound its way up the leg of a hut and sneaked along the outer wall.

It was careful to stay in the shadows, cleverly avoiding any airborne predators that might pick it off with ease.

Finally, the little snake found an opening inside and hissed loudly and in another room another snake hissed in response.

The green snake licked the foot of the Troll closest to it before running along the length of his leg up to his thigh. Opening its mouth it revealed two long curved fangs dripping with venom. The Troll slept soundly.

There was a moment of stillness before the snake struck, sinking its long teeth into the thick muscle of the mans' inner thigh. With a roar the Troll leapt up and instinctively grabbed at the centre of the pain, his large fingers grasping at the snake to squeeze it violently.

"Zenji! Zenji, what's wrong?" his yells had woken up the Draenei, along with most of the room.

"Fucking little bitch!" he snarled, taking the snake by the tail and slamming its head onto the ground, killing it instantly. The Druid dropped its body and pressed his hands into the bite "ah…" he groaned.

"Did it bite you? Let me see…" Mythrii leant over and nudged his hands out of the way so she could see the puncture marks in his leather pants "I thought snakes only bit when they were scared"

"Yeah-"

A high pitched scream cut him off and then there was another one coming from outside somewhere.

"_What's going on?_"

"_Is there an attack!?_"

"_We should get out of here, quickly!_"

The other Trolls in the room were babbling to each other, collecting belongings and making for exits. They stopped, however, when someone started yelling and pushing the crowd back into the rooms "what're they saying?" the Shaman asked "Zenji?" when he didn't answer her and when she looked over she saw him swaying slightly "Zenji!" his eyes fluttered tiredly.

"Don't feel so good…" he grunted, clenching his fingers into his thigh again and falling back onto the bed heavily. His forehead was beginning to perspire icily despite the sudden rise in his body temperature "ah…"

The woman cooed softly "just stay calm" she whispered, he responded by clenching his eyes and shuddering. Other members of the room were getting agitated, it seemed they wouldn't, or couldn't, leave for some reason "I'll be right back" Mythrii stated before she got to her feet and limped towards the door, some of the women tried calling her back. There was a sense of urgency in their tone but they were speaking too fast for her to understand.

So she hobbled out into the hallway where most of the men were standing; they were being handed out weapons or making use of anything they could get their hands one such as the kitchen utensils. With a gulp she squeezed between their much larger bodies so she could get to the door, they didn't even notice her.

However, the male at the door did see her as she popped out of the sea of bodies. He started barking at her and pointing back the way she'd come. All of a sudden she was being dragged away and when the man holding her reached the back of the group he tossed her none too gently to the floor and made a shooing motion with his hand before turning his nose up.

With a huff, the blond picked herself up and dusted herself off. She turned tail and stomped back into her room and over to Zenji "wha'zat?" he mumbled, peering at her with half focused eyes.

"I don't know what's going on, they won't let me see" when she reached over to touch his forehead the heat made her recoil "you're burning up" pulling away she started to channel some water between her palms which she let rain over his face gently, he sighed and relaxed for a short moment but still had his leg bent up to hold onto the bite. It was his left one and she was beginning to see some blood trickling out over his fingers, whether because of a natural bodily reaction or because Zenji had held it too hard she couldn't be sure "I should take a look, maybe I can heal it; you haven't moved at all so the venom or poison or whatever it is snakes have shouldn't have gone too deep"

He was rolling his head from side to side and muttering unintelligible things to himself. He didn't seem to take notice when Mythrii untied the criss-crossing strings on his pants and started to pull them down. She only got them a few inches before they wouldn't budge, she wasn't strong enough to pull them down without him lifting his back and he was in no state to help or listen to her.

"Um…let me see" she mumbled and looked around, spotting the women who'd tried to stop her before "_excuse me!_" they snapped their heads towards her, seemingly shocked she could speak Zandali "_help…_" she pointed anxiously to the white haired Troll beside her "er…" she couldn't remember the words for 'bite' or 'hurt' and began to mime biting her own arm, all the while still pointing down at Zenji "_help please_"

A tall, yellow haired female got up and strolled over to take a look; she tapped her green skinned chin and crouched down with a hum "_he was one of the ones bitten?_" she asked, speaking slowly so Mythrii could understand, the Draenei nodded and circled around his hands.

"_Here_" then she made a move of pulling on his pants again "_off, off_"

"_I see…_" the woman cleared her throat and called to her friends, two came over to lend their aid by holding Zenji so Mythrii and the yellow haired Troll could remove his pants.

The area around the two holes was beginning to turn purple and there was blood still seeping from them.

"_Water_" the Shaman mimed drinking just in case she got it wrong "_water Zenji_"

"_Get some water for him to drink, keep him hydrated. This stranger and I will tend to the bite_" the pink haired female jumped up and scurried off whilst the last one, a blue haired woman started ripping at the blanket Mythrii had been using "_Callah_" the yellow haired woman said, tapping her chest.

"_Mythrii_" the Shaman did the same.

"_We'll clean off the wound first to prevent infection_" she caught sight of something green and reached to pick up the snake "_is this the one that bit him?_" Mythrii nodded "_I've never seen a snake quite like this one...the one that stuck in the other room was red_"

"_What…happen?_" she was getting embarrassed over her awful accent but at least this Troll was nice enough to speak slowly and kind enough to not tease her.

"_There are so many snakes outside. The men are trying to cull them but for every one they kill another five appear from nowhere, nothing like this has ever happened before_"

The pink haired woman returned with a bowl of warm water and soaked some of the bed strips into it which Callah used to begin wiping the bite clean, but the purple had darkened slightly into a blackish hue so the Draenei pressed her hand to her mouth worriedly "_Zenji be well?_"

"_The important thing is to keep it clean for now. As long as he doesn't panic or move around he will be alright for a few hours. Trolls have a natural immunity to most venoms, they make us unwell but we usually pull through_" Callah passed her the cloth to press against the wound and said something to her friends. They both nodded and ran off into the hall "_just keep it clean. We're going to see how many have been bitten and see if we can help_"

"_Oh…but…but-_"

"_Keep it clean, Mythrii_" she said again before following after her friends.

She didn't want to be alone, what if something happened whilst they were gone? She didn't know what to do in the event of snake bites other than don't move. Zenji started trying to grab at his bite again but she brushed him off "leave it alone, you'll make it dirty" she scolded "see; you have blood all over your hands…come here" the Draenei began wiping off his fingers before going back to his leg.

"_Snakes…_" he hissed "ah, da snakes…make em go away"

"Shh…" she patted his head but he shook her off and cried out.

"Da snakes!" the Darkspear wailed "dere all around me! _Make em leave! Make em leave!_" he was staring into nothingness and Mythrii could see the corners of his eyes glistening.

He was having hallucinations.

And he couldn't keep his languages clear; it was as if he was trying to address both her and the Trolls in the room at the same time. His words were slamming together messily when he spoke making half of what he said unintelligible.

Still keeping the cold cloth to his leg the Shaman rubbed his broad shoulder "it's alright, Zenji. The snakes won't hurt you, just don't look at them and they'll go away" he was shaking and his whole body was breaking out in cold sweats. Peeling back the cloth she saw there was no more blood dripping from the puncture wounds, whether that was a good or bad thing she didn't know but she hoped it was the former.

"Dey starin' at me…pet, make em go away!"

"Alright Zenji" she make waving motions "shoo, shoo snakes. Leave him alone" he shivered and fumbled his arms around her waist to hug her "it's all fine, see? I'm making them leave"

The Druid hiccupped and squeezed the woman for comfort "dey still here…_they're_ _staring at me. I don't like it,_ dey wanna kill me, pet"

His speech was slurring and getting less understandable. His throat was drying out but he wouldn't touch the water skin that had been left for him, Mythrii took it upon herself to pop the teat and press it to his lips "here, drink this Zenji" he gulped it down eagerly as if he'd never drunk before and in a matter of moments he'd sucked the skin dry, when the woman tried to pull it away his head followed, desperate to get every last drop until finally it was too far out of his reach and he slumped against her; almost knocking her over with his weight. The male was panting and hugging her tightly still crying about the snakes only he could see when he heaved and buried between her breasts making Mythrii squeak, his long tusks protruding out behind her from under her arms "Zenji this is…hardly appropriate"

"_Can't see em, pet_, can't see da snakes den dey go away"

Still flushed indigo, the Shaman wrapped her own arms over his shoulders and stroked his hair "there, there" she rocked him like a child, every so often he'd hiccup or sob but now that he was hiding the snakes didn't appear to be bothering him.

"Ya like Surkhan more den me…" he breathed suddenly "ya sing 'im _Gurubashi Sooth songs_…ya don't sing Zenji no songs" he nuzzled her.

"Songs?"

He clenched his fingers into her back but didn't answer "ya clean Surkhans' house…don't clean Zenji's house"

"I've never been to your house" Mythrii whispered, smiling lightly.

"_Gave him a cat…_didn't give me no cat"

"You didn't like my cat"

He groaned and squeezed her "_stop it…_stop likin' Surkhan more den Zenji"

The blond woman giggled whilst rubbing the back of his neck "oh, you're so silly" he didn't say anything more and had stopped shivering though he was still coated in a sheen of sweat "that wash I had earlier has gone to waste, you're going to make me smell again"

"Good…smell like Zenji"

Mythrii petted him and craned her neck to try and see out into the hall, many of the Trolls that had been in the room with them had left but from the looks of it they'd only gone into other rooms and people still weren't being permitted outside. The men that had stopped her earlier were long gone but outside it seemed strangely silent. There had been screams and yells before but now there was nothing. Were the snakes gone?

"How are you feeling?" she asked the male in her arms "thirsty? Light-headed? Tired?"

"Just wanna lie here" he mumbled.

"Does your leg hurt?"

Zenji shrugged lazily "eh…"

Taking one arm off him, Mythrii opened his leg up to take a look. It was still circled purple-black but there was no blood "is it numb? Cold? Hot? You have to help me here"

"Don't really feel nuthin'"

"Oh dear, has it gone numb? I don't think that's good"

"Eh! Eh!"

A blue skinned Troll pushed his way into the room, brandishing a long wooden bow decorated with painted skulls "Surkhan!"

"Are ya alright? Both of ya…shit, what happened ta him?" the Zandali took a sharp intake of breath as he came closer "he got bit? How's he doin'?"

"It seems to be okay, I think it's gone numb though and he's a little tired. I gave him some water but unless he keeps his eyes closed he has hallucinations"

"About snakes?"

She blinked "y-yes"

"He ain't de only one. Lots o' people got bit by dese weird little snakes, all different colours; never seen nuthin' like it. And now all de little ones gone and dere be big nasty green ones. Dey take a mans arm off wid one bite!"

Mythrii whimpered "is that why we can't move from here?"

"Yeah…been trying ta check up on ya. I figured Zenji would be out dere helpin' us so when he didn't I got worried. I knew you would be here 'cause dey ain't lettin' da women out. We almost got em all, just a few left now den we gonna try helpin' all da victims. Ain't had none die yet but I hear a couple kids got bit and some of da elderly, I tink he's de only one fixin' ta survive wid-out an antidote"

"So he will be okay?"

"I would'a thought so…he's still pretty young an' he's big, ya know, fer a Darkspear" he chuckled "just keep an eye on him fer now, hun, we'll get ya some more help within da hour, ya tink yer'll be alright till den?"

"Yes, I'll be fine Surkhan" she smiled confidently when he ruffled her head before retreating back outside to finish the clean up. Zenji was breathing softly with his eyes closed but he was still holding her impossibly tight and flinching or whimpering every so often "I'm here, Zenji" she comforted, rocking him again.

* * *

Zenji couldn't remember most of what happened that night. He recalled the initial snake bite and the sense of dizziness that followed it. The most vibrant thing in his head was having the Draenei hold him in her arms until everything went black.

He awoke expecting to feel intense pain but there was only a dull ache in the general area of his inner thigh that gave him a sense of thickness, as if it was infested with pins and needles.

With a groan he sat up on his elbows and winced at the light coming in through the gaps in the wall "eh?" as he used his hand to visor his eyes he caught sight of Mythrii dozing serenely on his chest, dark and heavy looking bags under her eyes. From the way she was laying he deduced she'd been sitting beside him before finally succumbing to sleep. As the Druid ran a hand through his thick, messy hair he reached over with his other long arm to try and shake her awake "c'mon pet"

The Draenei struggled to raise her lids and through the bright white glow he could see that her eyes were bloodshot. She sighed heavily but forced a smile "how're you feeling?"

"I feel fine, pet, tanks ta you I assume?"

Mythrii gave a small shake of the head "no…Hu'rala cleansed your wound and healed the tissue damage. But you kept having nightmares so I was trying to stay awake to watch over you but I must have fallen asleep too…I guess I was pretty useless really"

He stroked her hair "ya weren't useless, pet" she smiled again and closed her eyes to go back to sleep "oi…ya can't sleep now, we gotta…pet? Hey…" the Shaman didn't respond; all he got from her were tiny little squeaks as she breathed.

Carefully, Zenji lifted her up so he could grab his leather pants and pull them back on. Getting to his feet to tie them he then grabbed his companions' bag to throw it over his back before hoisting the woman into his arms. He was limping in a similar fashion to how Mythrii was the previous night but Trolls were nothing if not resilient.

Outside he found the village crawling with the bodies of dead snakes, both big and small, being collected into piles. Surkhan was leading the cleanup by shouting out orders to different groups about burning the little ones and finding skinners for the big ones, all the while his little panther sat on his shoulder mewling along with his yells. Zenji approached him "_good you're up, we were just…Holy Loa! What happened to Mythrii?_"

"_Exhaustion. But she'll be fine when she gets a few hours of sleep under her belt_"

"_And yourself?_"

Zenji smirked "_I'm just perfect, after all…I got to fall asleep with my face in her tits_" the blue haired one whistled just as the Druid regained his composure "_we__'ll be leaving now, normally I supposed I'd have to let her say her sappy goodbyes but what with last night it's best to begin making headway now_"

"_Are you sure you want to take her to Grom'gol? And are you sure you'll be able to handle the trek with your leg? Hu'rala is a good healer but you shouldn't exert yourself, especially if you're going to carry her along the way. You're more than welcome to leave her here whilst you go ahead to warn the camp, you know she'll be safe here_"

"_That's just it. I don't know if she will be safe here…that attack last night; it was snakes, Surkhan, snakes! I'm sure you know all about the Snake Loa within Zul'Gurub_"

The Zandali waved his hand "_don't be foolish, he's dead_"

"_I thought the same thing of Bloodlord Mandokir but he's walking around like the past few years never happened, as if he was never killed. It's not so farfetched to believe others may be back too_"

"_So that's Mandokir, panthers and snakes. I have to wonder what else the City will throw at us…go on then, but be safe. You should probably stay off the roads too, just in case, but don't go too deep into the jungle either_"

"_Right, thanks for your help_"

"_It's no trouble. But you should go see about taking one of the Wyverns to Grom'gol, it's at least a two day walk_"

"_I wouldn't want to land in the middle of there with her like this_"

"_Half way then? I can't let you go walking that far in your condition_"

Zenji rolled his eyes as Surkhan pecked at him like an overprotective mother "_fine, fine. I'll take the damn Wyvern for about a days travel, but then I'm walking. Oh, by the way; thanks __for taking that damn cat. I can't imagine having to have carried it down too_"

Surkhan chuckled and rubbed the cubs' head "_he grows on you. When you finally get down to Fort Livingston be sure to tell my brother Ghaliri I said hello…and the lovely Thaalia as well_"

Zenji quirked his lips and lifted Mythrii higher in his arms "_until next time then_"

* * *

Rose: Wow this got long! They've been stuck in Bambala for ages! Don't worry though next it's the Grom'gol Base Camp. That should be fun for Mythrii, right?

Review please!


	16. Chapter 16

Rose: Hello and welcome to chapter 16. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

The Draenei slept through the entire trip south to Grom'gol.

It took a few hours for the Wyvern to fly them south, cutting a day's journey for them. But for the next twenty-four hours Mythrii slept off the exhaustion she'd built up over the past couple of days.

Zenji didn't mind carrying her; she was very light despite what her height would have him believe, that wasn't to say he couldn't feel her weighing him down but it was less so than if she were a Troll. He could walk at a comfortable pace though he did have to take breaks every now and then when his thigh got to aching too much.

He kept away from the main roads to avoid any sort of trouble they may run into, not just from the Great City but from any travellers. There was just no easy way to explain why a limping Troll was carrying an unconscious, half naked, Draenei without him coming off worse.

He arrived at the Camp towards the evening. His leg was getting stiff and he was sure it would hurt come tomorrow but for now all he cared for was a good meal and a drink.

First things first, however; he had to rouse the Draenei. It would be bad enough her walking in wearing that alluring Mail of hers, if he took her inside in this state, asleep and uncovered, there really would be a riot as Surkhan had predicted.

They were a good distance from the main gate when he stopped and laid her down in the roots of a tree, water would be good to splash on her but he didn't have any and he'd already checked her bag hours before. When he'd gotten thirsty earlier that day he'd taken a detour to the river to wet his still slightly dry throat.

By grabbing her arm and shaking her he roused her quickly but none to gently. Looking around drowsily the woman was obviously confused as to why she was in a different place than when she'd fallen asleep "where-"

"Grom'gol. At least, just outside of it" the lilac skinned male answered before she could finish "ya need ta get dressed, pet, ain't no good you walkin' in dere like…dat" he motioned to her body which brought an embarrassed blush to her cheeks.

"Oh…" Mythrii swallowed "perhaps…perhaps I can stay out here, yes? You can go in and warn as many people as you can and I'll just sit here and wait"

"Out here? It's almost dark out; I ain't leavin' ya out here not wid all dat's wandering about"

"But what you said before; about what they might want to do to me…" her long fingers fumbled in her lap "I-I don't think I could handle having to listen to that. I'm a little bit scared"

"'Course ya are" the Troll shrugged "be worried if yer weren't. It's just words, pet, dey won't do anyting 'cause I gonna tell em all yer mine, kay?"

"Yours?" he nodded and her voice turned shrill "what do you mean 'yours'? In what context?"

"Eh…well…" Zenji coughed and rubbed the back of his head "I were gonna say yer was me slave-"

"Slave!" the platinum haired woman shrieked, looking up from buckling her boots.

"It's just pretend!" his hands flew up in defence "Zenji won't be mean to ya but if yer me slave den dey won't touch ya, yeah? Orcs got more honour den dat"

Mythrii snorted "yes 'honour'" she finished dressing and stood up with her back to the male and her arms crossed "fine then. How does a 'slave' act?"

"Just act like ya always do" he replied "but try not ta talk back as much cause I don't wanna be havin' ta punish ya, alright? If ya start gettin' outta hand and I don't do nuthin' 'bout it den people gonna get suspicious. So just be yer-self only less defiant…oh, and stay close ta Zenji 'cause we don't want ya gettin' lost"

"Humf" the Draenei huffed unhappily but nodded all the same. This was quite possibly the most insulting thing she'd ever had to go through.

"Good girl" he patted her on the head and strapped her bag onto his back again "betta fer me ta take da bags, yer a female slave after all" pressing his large hand into the small of her back he pushed her towards the gates in the distance.

"What difference does that…Zenji!"

* * *

"Hey, hey pretty thing. Look this way"

"Oi, brutha, ain't lookin' ta share are ya?"

"Ain't seen a Draenei in months…look at those legs!"

"Smile, honey, don't wanna look angry for us, now, do you?"

"Do ya tink dem tings on 'er neck can move or no?"

Mythrii fought down the furious flush that threatened to cover her entire body as the catcalls continued, her fists clenched against her legs making her fingers ache. The calls got progressively worse the deeper into the camp she and her 'Master' delved. Zenji felt her muscles tense until she was walking almost robotically by his side, to make her feel more comfortable he'd moved his hand from her back to her shoulders. Letting her know he was still there whilst also sending out the very blatant message that she wasn't free.

But there were no rules against jeering at something belonging to another. As long as they didn't touch then they could say what they wanted. Of course; most of it was just them being playful and if Zenji had called their bluffs the vast majority would have backed out, citing wives or lovers that were waiting for them elsewhere. That was one thing you had to give the Orcs, they were incredibly loyal. Trolls however…

"Don't take no notice, pet" he whispered, squeezing her small shoulder "we almost ta da inn"

He did feel for her thought he wouldn't show it. It wasn't fair, really, the worst that had happened to him were some obnoxious humans talking about him at the Nesingwary Camp and Mythrii had defended him. But here, if he started telling men not to catcall 'his' Draenei because it upset her they'd be laughed off of the Eastern Kingdoms.

The inn was close to the centre of the small compound, it was the largest building in the area and housed all the Grunts and Researchers that came to Stranglethorn, as such, it was packed with Orcs, Tauren, Trolls and Blood Elves retiring for the day by drinking and eating. Zenji had plans to do a similar thing but he had to get them a room first. Coming up to the bar, he tapped on the wood to draw the attention of the inn keep, a middle aged looking Orc with a bald head and fresh green skin.

Before speaking, the Druid pulled Mythrii closer and placed her between his chest and the bar with his arms either side of her, the last thing he needed was her getting groped and making a stink about it "I need a room" he said lowly "ya got any free? Or at least a room wid a lock"

"Yeah there's a few available, let me just find the keys"

"Any wid…" his amber eyes glanced down at the Draenei but she was looking over to the side "separate beds?"

The Orc pulled a perplexed expression and looked between the pair of humanoids standing in front of him. It seemed like an odd request of the Troll considering he was obviously trying hard not to let the woman out of his reach but he would accommodate as best he could "I'll see what I've got. That'll be six gold; how're you paying?"

"Eh…" Zenji patted his leather pants; he didn't have any money on him! He hadn't thought he was going to need any here in the jungle.

"_Bag_" Mythrii whispered to him in Zandali without looking his way, his eyes darted to her then back to the inn keep.

"Go find da key, I'll have da money when ya get back" the Orc nodded and wandered off around the other side of the bar while the Darkspear pulled the bag off and tugged it open to fish around for some money. He found a little pouch of gold near the bottom under the clothes and meat "_thanks_" the white haired male muttered back to the woman before giving her the bag to hold.

They waited quietly for the keep to return, not wanting to draw attention to themselves but it seemed after her initial walk in most of the patrons had lost their interest in the Draenei which she was more than thankful for.

But whilst the humanoids didn't take notice of her a large brown bear lying by their feet, that Mythrii had originally thought to be a rug, raised its huge head and began to sniff loudly. The source of its sudden arousal was her bag, which still lay half open and was hanging off the woman's arm.

The bear groaned and started nudging the bag in an attempt to get at the sweet smelling meats inside. Mythrii squeaked and tugged it back up out of the bears reach, at least until it got up onto its huge paws for a better vantage point. It was a gigantic beast of a bear with shaggy fur that flopped all around its eyes. She would have thought it was cute if it wasn't trying to attack her.

"Ah, ah!" Zenji hissed, pulling the Shaman tighter against him and taking a step back "get out of it!"

"Redclaw, down" a tan spotted Tauren ordered sharply. The bear flattened his ears and moaned as it circled around the hooves of the Hunter and flopped back down with a sigh.

"Oh…thank you!" Mythrii pulled her dark lips in a relived smile.

"You're welcome, Draenei" the woman replied and returned to the drink she'd been enjoying before her bear had decided to assault the couple.

"Here's your room key" the inn keep came back and pressed a small silver key to the bar top.

Zenji dropped six gold coins into his hand and grabbed the key "c'mon, pet" he pulled her by the elbow away from the bar and guided her to the stairs "let's get ourselves settled"

* * *

"Oh thank the Light there's a washroom!" was the first thing to be said upon entering the small double bedroom they had rented. Mythrii darted inside the tiny attached room and squealed "there's no bath!"

With a grunt of pain, Zenji sat himself down on the bed closest to the door. The springs creaked loudly under his weight and the wooden frame groaned and sagged whilst he rested his elbows on his knees. His left leg was pulsing but now that he had taken his weight off it the sensation was lessening.

The Draenei bounced out of the washroom with a frown "where does one wash themselves in this place? There's no bath in there and I can't possibly be expected to bathe in the sink!"

"I dunno" Zenji sighed as he rubbed his forehead in exasperation, he was getting annoyed with the woman's nitpicking "we can ask da keep when we go down fer dinner. I'm sure dere's somewhere fer ya ta have a bath or somethin' cause dere be Blood Elves here and dey was lookin' pretty spiffy fer havin' stayed in a jungle"

With that said, the Darkspear pushed himself fully onto his bed and lay back with a hiss, the frame wasn't quite large enough for him so his legs bent up awkwardly which only aggravated his leg "are you alright?"

"Just me leg, pet. Give Zenji a couple hours o' rest; he's tired. We go ta dinner later when it's quieter"

"Yes of course" the blond nodded in agreement as she came closer "do you need me to east the pain? It'd be no trouble"

"Nah, pet, just let me sleep. Dat's all I need" he lay an elbow over his eyes and sighed as he began to drift off with Mythrii's hooves clicking on the wooden floor.

* * *

Zenji slept soundly for a short while but a Troll never slept too deeply for too long, as evidenced that first night in Bambala.

His long ears twitched at the sound of water splashing close by. Cracking open his amber eyes they burned from tiredness but still slid over to the direction of the washroom where the noise was coming from.

"Ugh…" his large hands rubbed over his face as he sighed "pet…" he groaned finally.

The splashing stopped and Mythrii appeared in the doorway, padding her wet face with a towel. The Druid was just about ready to start yelling at her for waking him up but stopped short when his gaze actually landed on the woman.

She had stripped most of her clothes off, leaving her in only her little blue dyed loincloth and the band of fabric that covered her breasts. Some water she missed dripped from her chin to land on one large mound and slide over the curves to the valley between.

Zenji inhaled sharply with his nostrils flaring and eyebrows rising. The tips of his ears burned red.

The blond looked over to him and puckered her lips thoughtfully, he expected her to come to a sudden realisation about her state of undress, to blush and stumble back into the washroom. What he did not expect was for the Draenei to toss the towel behind her and make her way towards him on the bed.

"What's wrong, darling?" she cooed softly, laying one knee on the bed and running the fingers of one hand over his forehead into his thick, wiry hair.

"Ain't nuthin…wait, 'darlin''?"

"You've only slept an hour" her other hand landed on his bent knee and trailed towards his hips "is it your leg? You should have let me sooth it. Does it hurt?"

He'd forgotten about his leg. But now that she mentioned it he was suddenly hit with a wall of pain that caused him to crack his jaw when he clenched it. It hadn't hurt this much before he'd gone to sleep, surely resting should have eased it. Mythrii was rubbing over the general bite area gently, leaving a tickling sensation behind.

"Hey…stop dat!" the lavender skinned man pushed himself up onto his elbows and waggled his leg to try and get her hand away from him but she merely leant closer and slipped the hand petting the crown of his head towards the back.

"Sh…darling" the woman guided him down so his forehead was resting against her shoulder. His eyes darted left and right in confusion as his face was pressed into her breasts "there, there. Just go back to sleep"

Mythrii took back her hands and pressed the palms together; a bubble of water formed that swelled and began to form into a perfect sphere as she rolled her hands as if moulding dough. The crystal coloured ball was then taken and rubbed back and forth over the area her fingers had been stroking beforehand.

The Troll grunted at the sudden coldness in his thigh but the Draenei started running her hand through his long hair in sync with her ministrations at his leg. It cooled the hot ache in his muscles and he could feel himself getting drowsy now that the pain was gone.

Zenji closed his eyes. This was the most confusing and yet amazing thing that had ever happened yet he wasn't going to question why the Draenei was suddenly so happy to be half naked in front of him nor why she was purposely letting him rest in her breasts. He'd take what he could get.

He was only pulled out of this strange euphoria when his toes twitched as something flicked against the sole. Snapping back Zenji kicked the foot of the bed only to realise he'd missed the small, foot long, green snake that had flickered its tongue on his skin "da hell!" he spat.

The snake raised its body up and pointed its nose up towards the ceiling where its mouth opened wide and dislocated as something liquid like was spat out into the air, tearing the snake apart as if it had seams before the mystery substance started to take shape.

It was a male Troll with rather sickly looking dark green skin. His face was covered with a thick leather mask where only the dim glow of a pair of eyes was visible at the very top. His outfit consisted of moss, leaves and bones decorating his leather kilt with large skulls on his shoulders.

"_You…_" the large green Troll hissed from his position at the foot of the bed, floating about a foot above Zenji's ankles "_you are the one who dare disssssturb the plans of Gurubashi. You ssssseal you own fate, little one. My snakes' ssssslither under every rock in Stranglethorn, their venom issss in your blood…I will find you…even now my children hunt for you and your pet_"

"_I-I…you're…_" Zenji couldn't find the words to speak. This was the High Priest of Hethiss the Snake Loa, the same one thought killed years ago. He'd been right when he'd told Surkhan about his fears! Now the bastard was sitting…floating…in his room!

The Draenei! Swinging his head to the side he saw she was gone, he was alone with the Priest.

"_I cannot touch you in thissss form. But the venom of my snakessss taints your dreams, givesssss me a gateway that will soon fade. With each one of ussss you foil, another enemy stalks you. Gurubashi, panthers and now snakesssss…we will hunt you and we will kill you. Your blood will feed Hakkar…_"

Zenji was starting to feel light headed. His body was numb and his vision was spinning as it started to turn hazy.

Venoxis laughed deep in his chest; hissing loudly whilst the Druid blacked out.

* * *

Rose: Ugh...this chapter is so jumpy. Sorry about that.

Review please!


	17. Chapter 17

Rose: Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy this.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

Zenji's speech has changed slightly as I've now learned to write a Trollish accent better.

Also, hilarious and lemony things to occur in the next few chapters. However, I warn you, it's not what you expect.

* * *

Zenji awoke when his body slammed into his bed.

As odd as that sounds, it what it felt like. He snapped into consciousness so suddenly that it was as though he'd fallen from a great height.

Panting and covered in cold sweat, the Troll threw his gaze across every corner of the tiny room looking for the shape of Venoxis but there was nothing there. It was close to dusk outside and the room was on the east side of the inn so no light came through the single small window. There was light coming from the washroom, however, along with watery splashing sounds.

His heart leapt into his throat and, despite the searing pain in his leg, the Druid jumped up and with one great stride he cleared the space to the room and filled the doorway with his broad form, hands up and clenching the frame which turned his knuckles white.

Mythrii looked up from washing her face in the sink, disturbed by the sounds he'd made in his haste. Her eyes widened "Zenji, is something wrong? You look flushed"

"I…I…" he stuttered for a moment and then paused, turning away to rest his forehead against one of his hands on the frame "nuthin'…just had a…nuthin'" the Draenei dried herself off and stood up straight, she was no longer wearing her Mail armour and was instead dressed in her long black pants the dark blue-black swashbucklers shirt. Her hair, whilst still greasy looking from days of not being washed, was now styled back into its side parting with half of her long bangs covering the left side of her face "what'cha doin'?"

Her bright eyes looked down at herself "oh…well, I thought perhaps I should cover up a little more if we're going back into the 'belly of the beast' as it were. Even though I should be allowed to wear my armour without fear of being harassed! Honestly…I never get this sort of hassle walking around Stormwind!" wiping the cold perspiration from his forehead, Zenji backed away into the bedroom and ran his three fingered hands through his hair. The Shaman followed him, still wearing a worried expression "are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, yeah" the Druid sat on his bed again and rested his elbows on his knees, long hair falling forwards around his head and the leather band landing onto the bed.

"Do you need a hand? Here, let me…" the mattress dipped behind him and creaked as Mythrii added her weight to the rickety bed. Her long fingers brushed through his hair to untie some of the knots and part it into three sections "it's certainly long isn't it? Don't you ever wear it down? I think it would look so lovely all brushed around your shoulders-"

"No" he cut her off sharply "gets in da way"

"What about cutting it short?"

His back was tingling pleasantly, she was twisting the sections of hair around one another and the tugging sensation along with her soft knuckles stroking his neck every so often was sending shivers down his spine "I like it long" he quirked his lips in a playful smirk "feels nice when people put dere hands in it…'specially women"

The woman squeaked and giggled "I knew you'd say something to that effect" his ears burned purple-red at the tips as he chuckled with her "there, all tied away neatly. It shouldn't come out now even if you sleep on it" when she pulled away he heard her make a noise of distaste as her fingers had been left feeling waxy "when was the last time you cleaned your hair?" she grimaced and vanished back into the washroom. There was a short silence "don't tell me you have to think about it?!" she cried in disbelief.

"Nah, nah…" he laughed "just…ya know; Trolls ain't da cleanest o' beings. I tink da most thorough wash I had was when me Da threw me in a rain made pond after a storm"

"Goodness" Mythrii reappeared with her hand on her chest "I can barely function without a proper bath after only a few days!" Zenji pushed himself up to stand; grunting when he put weight on his left leg, and stretched his back "on a sudden change of subject…I've been thinking"

"Oh yeah?" he rolled his eyes before looking over at her.

"I've come to the realisation that 'slaves' don't call their 'Masters' by name. And since you already have a rather…appropriate…name for me, I must have something which to call you by for the duration of this charade"

The Darkspear blinked slowly "so…yer sayin' ya wanna give me a pet-name?"

"In laments terms, yes" he raised his hand to make a point as he opened his mouth to speak, but then he stopped and dropped his arm. He didn't know what she'd said and was unwilling to reply lest he made a fool of himself "what'cha got in mind? I was tinkin' ya just call me Masta" he grinned and waggled his eyebrows instead.

"The Legion will make its return dancing with rainbows and sparklers before I call **anyone **Master" he had to laugh at that; it really was too much to ask of her he supposed. Still…he could always hope "there's plenty of things I could call you other than that…how about Honey?"

"Honey?" he repeated "dat's da long version of 'Hun' and dat's what Surkhan calls **you**"

"Oh, alright then; I hadn't thought of that" the lilac skinned woman tapped her lip thoughtfully "what about Sweetheart?"

"Yer me slave not me wife! If ya wanted ta call me sickly names ya should have told me ta play ya husband"

The blond huffed and rested her hands on her hips as she tapped her uninjured hoof "Sugar?"

"What are ya? A Goblin!"

"Darling?"

He stopped sort of insulting the choice by habit, wanting to shoot down all her suggestions for the fun of it but he found that one sounded oddly nice.

"_What's wrong, darling?"_

"_Sh…darling"_

A slow grin crept across his lips "I like dat one"

"What?" she half cried, half shrieked incredulously "you like 'darling' but not 'honey'? What…I don't…oh whatever" she waved him off and cross her arms but she was smiling all the while "you are so odd, Zenji"

"Ah, ah" he tapped her nose "dat's not how me slave addresses her Master…"

Her brow rose "really? Oh Light above…fine. I'm hungry, **darling**, may we go to dinner now, **darling**?"

The white haired Troll burst into roars of laughter "I like dis…let's go, pet"

* * *

They found a small table tucked away beneath the stairs in the corner of the bar. Mythrii sat in the tighter space comfortably whilst Zenji had to hunch his back more than usual to prevent himself from hitting his head "alright…ya know what ya want?"

The woman stared at their bare table "where's the menu?"

"Dis ain't Silvermoon!"

"Then how am I supposed to know what I want?" she argued with a huff.

The Druid rolled his eyes "ya want meat or no? Dat's yer choice"

"Oh for Lights sake" Mythrii slumped back into her chair and blew up into her bangs "just get me what you're having in a smaller portion"

"And ta drink?"

"Hm…I'll assume there's no wine and save you the trouble of insulting me. So get me an ale if you would"

"Got it" he grunted as he awkwardly edged himself out the small area, stretching to his full height before hobbling over to the bar. There was a different Orc there now, a much older one with lime green skin and a thick black beard "eh" Zenji motioned to him with his three fingered hand "two house specials, one normal sized de other fer an elf; an' can I get an elf sized ale and a nice jug of grog?"

"Sure thing, where're ya seated?"

"Under da stairs…I'm da one wid da Draenei. Ya can't miss us"

The barman peered at Zenji in disbelief and leant slightly to the side so he could take a look "well, my Ancestors be damned…" he chuckled "is she-"

"No" the white haired male growled quickly, which made the Orc shut his mouth with a click of his teeth "just get da damn food"

"Four gold"

The Troll startled, why couldn't these things get paid for afterwards? Or why wasn't it included in the room?

"Bring it ta da table, yer'll get yer gold den" he grunted and turned away to take his seat again. His brain whirled when he saw someone walking over to his table with their gaze quite blatantly set on the female already seated there.

It was a young, male Troll who had obviously worked up the nerve to try his luck with someone else's' toy. Zenji wasn't having that…

With a bare toothed snarl he managed to beat the boy to the table and placed himself between Mythrii and the intruder. This little blue haired runt was barely cutting his first tusks and he thought he had a chance with **his** Draenei? It was laughable.

"_I think you're old enough to understand how these things work_" the Druid rumbled lowly "_so, shall we take this outside?_"

The boy's eyes darted over Zenji's much bigger form before he shook his head without hesitation and scurried off, the sound of his friends' laughter ringing in his ears. Mythrii was smiling as her companion sat down, her chin on her hand "am I causing trouble again, darling?"

"Heh…" he quirked his lips at her, half baring his teeth as they pulled over his large tusks "only a little" she giggled lightly "I need four gold fer da meal"

The woman stopped laughing suddenly and furrowed her eyebrows "I though it would have been included in the room?"

"Well so did I but it ain't"

"Don't you have any?"

"I barely carry gold at da best of times. Where's yers?"

"Upstairs"

This wasn't good. They couldn't both leave to collect the money as they'd lose their table and the barman might think they were trying to pull something. But neither one could go to their room by themselves, Zenji couldn't leave Mythrii alone as previous situations had highlighted and she couldn't be trusted to get there herself without anything happening.

"Shit…" he hissed, looking around. There wasn't anyone in this bar, male or female, that he thought he could trust to watch his woman if we went to get her gold.

So lost in thought of how he could managed to be in two places at once without spontaneously becoming a Mage, he didn't see the large figure approach them from behind him "excuse me" the soft voice said but only Mythrii acknowledged them "I realised after you left the bar earlier that I hadn't apologised for Redclaw's assault on you"

It was the Hunter from before; the tan and white spotted Tauren with the shaggy brown bear. The Shaman waved her off with a polite smile "it's quite alright. I know it wasn't on purpose, but thank you away" said bear was sniffing down around their table, looking for scraps but he was out of luck "oh, I think Zenji forgot to ask for me so I'll ask you instead, are there any washrooms of any sort in this camp?"

"I don't know about washrooms…but there's a shower block on the other side of the base camp. Separate male and female buildings, I can take you there when you're done here if you wish as way of an apology"

"Yes, that would be lovely. Thanks ever so much, I'm Mythrii by the way"

"And I'm Maiha"

Looking across at the Troll, the woman happily reached over and shook the arm he was resting on the table "Zenji…oops…" she glanced at the Tauren out of the corner of her eyes but the Hunter looked indifferent "darling, Maiha says there's a shower block she can take me to after dinner"

The male grunted "huh?" amber eyes stared at the Draenei then the Tauren "yer da one wid da bear from befer, ain't ya?" the tan bovine smiled cheekily "listen, watch me pet fer a minute or two. I gotta get some gold ta pay da meal"

"How much do you need?" Maiha began reaching into her pocket to extract a pouch.

"I don't need **yer **gold. I got me own"

"You mean you have her gold" Zenji stuttered as the Tauren began counting out coins "unless of course you're the type of couple to share that sort of thing, personally I prefer to keep my gold to myself and my husband keeps his but then again, that's just the way we are. Trolls are different I suppose"

The lavender skinned male gritted his teeth and a low growl began to bubble in his throat "darling it's quite alright, I'm sure she's just teasing" his ear twitched in response to the Draenei's voice "why don't you go get the gold for our meals and I'll stay here with Maiha? That'll give you some time to calm down…**alright**?" the Druid caught the slight edge to her tone as she finished speaking though she still kept that go-lucky pitch in her voice to try and hide it.

"Fine" he bit out, stomping loudly around to climb the stairs above her head.

Maiha looked down at Mythrii sympathetically "I do hope I haven't done anything to get you in trouble. I was merely making an observation"

"Me? Oh no, it's perfectly alright. He just has a short fuse but he's all bark and no bite to be honest"

"If you're sure…" the Hunter mused softly "may I ask a question?" the Shaman nodded and motioned for her to go ahead "a Draenei and a Troll is a rather odd combination. How did it come to be if you don't mind my prying?"

The blond haired woman hummed nervously, she and Zenji hadn't come up with any sort of alibi for their relationship other than slave-master. She was afraid to say something that could be perceived as 'wrong' "I'm a Shaman closely aligned with the Earthen Ring and Zenji is a Druid within the Cenarion Circle"

"Ah I see" the tan furred Tauren nodded, wincing as her short horns clipped the staircase "so I assume you often work side by side?"

"For the past few days we have, yes. We've been warning all the settlements about the encroaching threat from within Zul'Gurub" Maiha looked surprised to hear this new information "I'm not sure how to spread the word without causing panic however, this is a rather large settlement and such news as an attack on the horizon could cause trouble"

"Yes it could. I'm sure if you tell the watchmen and the guards they'll know how to distribute it"

"That's a good idea!" Mythrii grinned, her small canines glinting in the low light "I hadn't thought of that; of course Zenji will have to be the one to tell them, Light knows they wouldn't listen to me-"

"I got da gold, yer welcome ta leave now"

"Don't be rude!" the Shaman scolded automatically.

"Shuddit" the Troll dropped four gold coins on the table and slumped into his seat as he glared suspiciously at Maiha. Neither of them had heard him come down the stairs so his sudden appearance came as a surprise. It was only after he'd snapped at her that Mythrii realised what she'd said and done. It wasn't very slave-like to give orders to ones master, as much as she mentally cringed at having to refer to him like that.

The Hunter sniffed and backed away "I'm seated over there in the corner by the door. Just come and get me when you're ready to leave for the showers"

"Of course, thank you again" the Draenei inclined her hand in a farewell wave just as she caught sight of the look her companion was throwing her. Zenji had his lips in firm line, or as firm as they could be, and was staring at her angrily "what-"

"Yer a bad slave!" he spat "telling me not ta be rude, anyone else would'a hit ya fer dat ya stupid cow!"

"Goat"

"I don't care! Start playin' along or ya gonna get yerself fucked!"

She crossed her arms and tutted "it's hard!" she whined "and Maiha was asking me how we 'came to be' and I didn't know what to tell her!"

"What **did **ya tell her?"

"That I'm from the Earthen Ring and you're from the Cenarion Circle, it seemed like the safest option"

"Ugh…yer a slave not a partner! Ya shoulda made out I caught ya on a battlefield or someting and took ya prisoner!"

The woman pulled a face "but that implies forced copulation"

"Forced wha…?"

"Rape" she muttered, turning her head away.

"Well ya are a slave…"

"I'm **not **going to pretend like you've raped me!" her gaze snapped back to him, wide and angry with her teeth clenched.

"Alright, alright…" he held his hands up in mock surrender "ta **you **its rape but to a Troll it's just a normal part of havin' sex. Hell, one of da main traditions on a weddin' night is fer da man ta force his wife into bein' submissive"

"Well, I think it's plainly obvious that I am neither a Troll nor your wife!"

"I dunno why yer gettin' so mad about it-"

"I'm **not **getting mad!" Mythrii hissed and Zenji saw some of her hair crackle.

"Eh…tone it down, pet" he glanced around "don't wanna be havin' a light show inside now do we?"

Her face was flushed and she looked ready to blow but Mythrii held it back and merely bristled silently. She remained quiet until their food was delivered along with their drinks "thank you" she nodded to the server and picked up her knife and fork to begin cutting at the slap of meat, it looked to be pork but it for the length of time it had taken to arrive it seemed barely cooked.

Not that Zenji seemed to mind; he wasn't even using utensils, rather he thought it was better to merely shovel his meal into his mouth with his hands "wut?" he belched to her.

"A little decorum wouldn't kill you, you know"

He pulled a puzzled expression and looked around "I don't...huh?"

"Manners" the female deadpanned and went back to her meal.

"If yer gonna insult me can ya at least do it wid-out yer flowery Stormwind talk?"

"Oh for Lights sake" she sighed and took a bite of bloody pork, when it reached the back of her throat she heaved and spat it back onto her plate in disgust "I can't eat this…you have it, I'll just eat the stuff on the side"

"Ya not no taste fer food, ya really don't" Zenji said with a smirk but he wasn't going to refuse a free pork steak "look, since it's obvious ya don't know da first ting about bein' a slave-" the Draenei raised a brow "-den we gonna have ta start playin' dis a different way. We didn't meet on in a battle between da Horde and Alliance where I was able ta corner ya away from yer squad and beat ya down into da dirt before makin' ya submit ta me…all da while yer wearing yer little blue number-"

"You've been planning **that **for a while haven't you?"

"Ahem…instead, we met during a cross between our two organisations where we…I dunno…" he scratched his head "got drunk and fucked?"

Mythrii snorted "you put all your brainpower into the first scenario didn't you?" he shrugged "and why did I decide to stay after the first time?"

Now it was his turn to snort "cause I'm da best fuck ya ever had…obviously!"

"Obviously"

"What? Ya don't tink I'd be da best?"

"There's more to a relationship than that. Why would I stay with you and subject myself to…**this**…" she motioned around them "just for a little bit of sex?"

"Ain't nuthin 'little' about when I have sex" the white haired male quirked his lips in a flirtatious manner, she groaned to herself from across the table "what's yer idea den? Since apparently ya managed ta make me celibate if we ain't gonna pretend ta be havin' sex! What's **my **reason fer stayin' if ya ain't lettin' me fuck ya?"

"I didn't say we wouldn't be having sex. Of course that's the only reason you'd want me anyway since I'm a 'prize' you can flaunt to everyone. I just don't like the idea of it being forced; I don't think I'd be able to act that realistically…"

"Den just say yer me willin' bed mate! People ain't gonna be pryin' too deep into our relationship, dey just gonna wanna know da best bits"

"Best bits?" Mythrii repeated unsurely "such as…?"

"Such as how often we fuck and what position and whether yer a screamer or not…are ya?"

"You are just…ugh!" she was fighting down another shock of lightning "how often to Trolls sleep together?"

"Ya mean a married pair or in general?"

"Well since we're playing closer to the former I'd have to take that one"

"Two…three times"

"A week?"

"Who da hell lives off three times a week?"

The Draenei placed her knife and fork on her plate and crossed her arms on the table "well, I haven't seen you sneaking off these past days. So apparently a lack of warm places around your crotch isn't as deadly as you make it out to be"

Zenji looked taken aback and chuckled "ah...maybe I just better self control den other men, eh?"

"How often do you think Draenei copulate?"

"Dat means have sex, right?" the blond nodded "well since yer a prude I'd have ta guess once a month. And ya probably do it in da dark wid yer clothes on and don't make a sound! And ya probably plan it in advance so it's as borin' as possible"

Her dark lips were pulled into a teasing smile "well, that's certainly very specific. But you're wrong. Well…half wrong" the Darkspear tilted his head as his interest was peaked "Draenei only copulate once a year when the Naaru give us a very special blessing that lasts only a few short days. As well as aligning this blessing to when females come into season, it's also when we pick our life partners and consummate our marriages with them"

"So dis goes back ta da magic ting ya was tellin' me about a few days ago, right?"

"It's not magic"

He waved his large hand "whatever…once a year? Dat's fuckin' stupid, is dat seriously da only time ya have sex?"

"Actually now that I think about it…that's once a year on Draenor" Mythrii sipped her ale "I keep forgetting about the time difference between there and Azeroth. For Draenei living here it's once every three years"

The Troll snorted his grog and coughed as it went down into his lungs "three years! No. No, I don't believe ya, dat's just dumb! No way yer species can stay alive only fuckin' once every three years! Ya said ya met yer mates during dat magic ting, not dat dat's da only time ya have sex!"

"Well, it's rather complicated. You see, male and female Draenei used to be very similar in size and build since back on Argus most members of society trained as, what you would call, Mages. When we had to flee because of the corruption to our people by the Burning Legion a kind of segregation happened with the men training to be Warriors and Vindicators and the women taking on more supporting roles such as Anchorites. That, along with prolonged exposure to the Light of the Naaru, caused an accelerated evolution that resulted in an obvious sexual dimorphism. I'm sure you've seen both male and female Draenei side by side at one point"

"Yea…" the man nodded.

"The males increased size also increased…other things and females didn't get any bigger to compensate. When the time came that we were able to settle on a planet and begin to reproduce we came across an issue…" she flushed "the men couldn't…um…fit…at least not without causing intense pain. The Naaru took pity on us and gave us a blessing that would numb the pain of copulation to allow us to breed. But they only do it during that particular time when females come into heat. We're such a long lived race that we never needed to breed much before the corruption but now…"

"So ya was dere fer all dis?"

"No, no. I'm much too young for all that. My Grandmother and other older members told us about these things"

"So if yer were ta have sex wid a smaller male…it wouldn't be an issue…like a Human or someting?"

"I suppose not. It really is just an issue with size"

"So ya don't have sex fer pleasure? Just breedin'?"

"Yes"

"Ya poor, poor ting" he shook his head "Trolls do it de other way, pleasure first and pups just be an offshoot" Mythrii rolled her bright eyes in a wide arch but couldn't help but smile in slight amusement "dat means you and I can have sex as often as we want…hypo-someting-or-other of course"

"Hypothetically?" she helped "really?"

"Yeah dat" the male clicked his fingers at her in thanks "it don't gotta be realistic, how many people other den Draenei gonna know 'bout all dat stuff ya told me? But if it makes ya feel better ya can imagine I'm da same size as one of yer males and dat ya trained yer-self ta take me"

"Ah of course…obviously we just hadn't thought about that. I don't think you're quite getting it…Draenei do not have sex for reasons other than procreation"

"Fine den, we have sex twice a week which ya do 'specially fer me and all de other times ya usin' yer mouth and yer hands and yer tits. Happy?"

"I…what…my…what on Azeroth do Trolls **do **when they're together? Hands, mouth and…breasts? I don't understand what they have to do with sex"

"Yer men got women dat look like you and dey don't even use ya…"

Mythrii ran a hand through her hair "I'm tired" she pushed her plate away and finished her drink "I'm going to go find Maiha so I can have a wash before retiring for the night"

"Yer goin'?" he watched her get up out of her chair "hold on, I'm comin' too. I wanna know where dese blocks are" he wolfed down the last few mouthfuls of food that remained on his own place before getting up to lead her over to the Tauren, licking his fingers as they walked.

* * *

Rose: Very long chapter for you. Hope you liked it and as you can see I gave a little insight into my lore on Draenei.

Review please!


	18. Chapter 18

Rose: I think you'll probably like this chapter, lots of hijinks ensue.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

The shower block was a long rectangle shaped building on the very edge of the Base Camp. The walls were made of stone and thick wood, it was defiantly had a look of Goblin architecture with an underlying Orc influence.

Around the front of the building the dry earth had been churned into a thick muddy walkway that coated the feet of the four beings walking that way. Mythrii made a disgusted face as she looked down at her hooves in displeasure whilst Zenji made a point to wiggle his two toes and grin.

Maiha smiled down at the lilac skinned female beside her "there shouldn't be too many people around at this time of night, so you don't have to worry about getting crowded"

The Draenei looked at the tanned Tauren with wide eyes "you mean it's not private?" Maiha chuckled and motioned with her large hand for Mythrii to go in first. Her hooves hit the stone slab that made up the floor with a metallic thunk that followed her around the S bend into the main part of the building.

Zenji made to follow but the Hunter cut in front of him and directed her hulking bear with a flick of her long tail. The beast groaned and took a seat in the doorway, staring up at the Troll with unblinking eyes "wha…" he stuttered as his amber eyes locked onto the female "why's 'e get ta go in an' I don't?"

"Because this is the **women's' **block" she replied with a smirk, just in time for the Shaman to pop her head back around the corner.

"Is something wrong?" she asked politely, blinking quickly. The Druid grit his teeth "I don't have to do this if you don't want me to…darling" the blond added quickly and quirked her dark lips.

The white haired male snorted and shrugged "I'll wait out 'ere den"

Leaning his back against the wall he turned his head left and right, the bear was still blocking the doorway but it shifted to the side when a pair of Blood Elves scurried in; throwing the huge Troll a suspicious look as they hugged their bathing supplies tighter.

He chewed his tongue and slid down into a crouch, squishing his toes in the mud once more. His leg hadn't given him any trouble since he'd awoken. Maybe the muscle fatigue had finally faded since the healing Hu'rala had given it.

There was now an Orc coming this way; hadn't the Tauren woman said it' wouldn't be busy? The last thing he needed was his little pet getting into trouble…

The Orc woman stopped about half way to him to chat with someone and Zenji took the chance to slowly slip around the corner and made a point to edge his way down towards the back of the shower block.

He only wanted to keep an eye on her. At least that was what he told himself as he ducked into the shadows and shifted into a cat to better hide himself. With one swift jump Zenji bounced off the wall that surrounded the base camp and onto the wooden roof. There had to be something up here where he could see inside, a vent or window to allow the steam out.

* * *

Inside, Mythrii was fascinated with this new form of bathing. She was used to taking baths but here there were long pipes attached to the walls with spouts at the ends that angled down.

Maiha directed her to some benches "you can leave your clothes here and redress when you're done" to place emphasis on her point she started unbuckling her chest piece with no regard to the presence of the Draenei.

"O-oh…it's very open, isn't it? This reminds me a little bit of the Night Elves but they have baths rather than these shower things" with a smile, the Shaman pulled her blue-black shirt over her head to fold it neatly on the bench.

Behind them appeared two Blood Elves, both tall and lithe with sharp features but one with short black hair and another with long red locks. Upon seeing the Draenei they both pulled their lips as if there was a foul stench and moved to undress in the farthest corner from them. The blond female cleared her throat awkwardly as she finished undressing, Maiha was already over at the showers as Mythrii pulled off the rings from her tail and whiskers and placed them gently atop her pile of clothes.

"They're very simple to operate, thankfully. Goblins like to make things so complicated but this time they struck out. You twist the knob to the right to turn it on and raise the heat, and twist it left to lower the heat or turn it off" the shower head bubbled and spat a little bit before a strong rush of water erupted that made Mythrii squeak, it wasn't very comfortable being pummelled in the head by water. Baths would have been much nicer.

* * *

Outside, Zenji heard the groan as the hot water was turned on and bounced over towards the only thing he could see that looked like a vent. It was a small round object in the middle of the roof with a spinning fan inside, and if he closed one eye and squinted he could just about see though it into the showers though there wasn't much to watch.

He could hear very well, however.

* * *

"Maiha, I didn't realise you'd be here. Didn't you take a wash this morning?"

A tall, muscular female Orc with glistening olive green skin rounded the corner into the showers and started untying her kilt; the Hunter smiled and waved in response "yes I did, but you know what jungles are like. And besides, my new companion here wanted to know about this place"

The Orcs' blue eyes found Mythrii who quirked her lips weakly and wiggled her fingers as she looked over her shoulder shyly "h-hello"

"New pet? I didn't realise Hunters were into taming other Races now" the woman chuckled and untied her purplish hair from the boar-tails it was styled in "don't fancy yourself a nice Blood Elf?" she grinned toothily at the duo in the corner, at her gaze they stuck their noses in the air and strutted haughtily to the far side, wrapped up in a pair of towels.

The Orc came over to Mythrii's other side and turned on her shower, the Draenei shuffled uncomfortably and made a point to try and wash the feathery hair above her hooves without making eye contact.

"Not mine. That Troll outside"

"Oh him? I saw him…handsome looking fellow" she rubbed her fingers along her scalp, massaging her head "ugh…I can smell those oils from over here!" her voice rose angrily "fuckin' Blood Elves, they stink the place up"

Mythrii had been about to ask Maiha about forms of soap and whatnot but now thought better.

"So, Draenei" the Orc was slightly shorter than her but was far for muscular with her thighs being twice the size of the Shaman's. It wasn't a stretch to say she was slightly intimidated "you have a name or what?"

"Ahem" the Draenei started trying to wash her hair "it's usually considered polite to give ones own name first before asking someone for theirs"

"You saying I'm not polite?" the Orc snapped.

"Mythrii! My name is Mythrii!"

"Ha! Your face! Calm down…Mythrii did you say…I'm only teasing you. I think you're the first Alliance Race I've seen within ten miles of this Camp"

"Yes…I have had some odd looks"

"You don't have to stare at the floor, I'm going to bite" she and Maiha laughed "I'm Gronka" the bulky woman threw one large arm over Mythrii's shoulder and patted her arm hard before letting her go "don't be so nervous"

"S-sorry" the lilac skinned female muttered.

Maiha gave her companion a warming smile "are you alright?"

"Y-yes…"

The Tauren opened her mouth to respond but a low growl from the entrance cut her off "oh dear" she muttered "brace yourself" Gronka heard what she said and sighed heavily.

"For Loa's sake! I can smell dat shit all da way at da bar!" a tall dark green skinned Troll with equally vibrant green hair stormed into the showers, already half naked as she threw her dress onto the nearest bench, her feet left large muddy prints that watered slightly when she got closer. The Blood Elves that were the cause of her anger shrank slightly but she stopped walking when she reached Gronka "what the fuck is **that **doing here? I didn't realise animals were permitted in here, even your bear has to stay at the door"

Mythrii's jaw dropped "e-excuse me!"

"Ya heard me, bitch" as the Shaman was still stuttering, the Troll shoved her to the side so she could use the shower between her and the Orc "it's bad enough I'm forced to be 'clean' because dem Blood Elves can't stand the idea of 'oh no, how dare dat filthy ting touched me food' but now I gotta do it next ta ya? Pathetic"

"I-I…"

"What ya even doin' here anyway?" the huge fin her hair had been in was now flattened and running down her thick back.

"I-"

Maiha stopped with a low, drawling warning "don't…"

Unfortunately, Gronka didn't catch it "she's with that nice lookin' Troll outside, didn't you see him?"

"Troll!" the woman laughed "she's with a Troll? What for?"

"Why'd you think she's with him, ya daft bitch?"

The green haired female threw her head back and laughed, her tiny tusks glinting in the dim light "what self respecin' male goes wid a female not of 'is own kind?"

"A sexy one. Ya really didn't see him? Bad luck, Xenika"

"Ha…he's probably some runt that has to mate outside the tribe because no one will touch him. Ya would fuck anythin' if ya thought it had a big cock, Gronka" Xenika snorted as the Orc scowled "still, why a Draenei? Dat's worse den fuckin' an Elf"

"I'm standing right here you know!"

"Oh fuck, ya **do **speak Orcish. I just thought ya was speakin' gibberish befer"

"Y-you!" Mythrii stamped her hoof angrily, fighting back the wince when she realised it was the injured one that hit the floor with a loud clang "how dare you! Who do you think you are to speak about Zenji and myself like that?"

* * *

"Fuck…don't be gettin' in ta trouble, pet"

Although he couldn't see what was happening, judging by what was being said the Druid could paint a pretty good picture in his head. And if it continued on its current path Mythrii was going to learn first hand how well Trolls could fight fist to fist. Insulting a Troll male was dangerous enough but angering a female was a whole other kettle of fish.

* * *

"Oh? Ya wanna save face, Draenei? Go on, den; tell us how good 'e is"

"How good he is?" Mythrii echoed slowly, what on Azeroth did that mean?

* * *

"No! No! No! No!" Zenji hissed from his position "don't be askin' her dat!"

His stomach dropped. Mythrii wasn't going to have anything to tell this woman because they hadn't discussed their 'relationship' in detail The Draenei was going to have to bluff it but if she said something wrong…

He groaned and covered his snout with his paws. He was going to be the laughing stock of the Camp!

* * *

"Go on…" the Troll goaded.

"Ahem" the Shaman straightened her back and crossed her arms beneath her breasts "what do you want to know?"

Xenika looked a little taken aback at her tone but recovered quickly and huffed. Gronka and Maiha exchanged nervous glances "alright den…how big is 'is python?"

"Oh…well…" Mythrii cleared her throat and lifted her hands, she realised now what it was this Troll woman wanted she figured it would be better to make everything about Zenji seem bigger and better, no puns intended "I'd say he's about…this…" her hands measured about a foot apart but from the look on the women's faces it wasn't what they wanted "of course…that's before I've gotten him 'excited'" she forced a cocky expression to Xenika's fury and the others amusement "and when it swells he gets another half foot on top"

"Nice…" Gronka hissed "what about his balls?"

"His, um…" the woman clenched her fists then held them up for them to see "like this"

"Sounds delicious"

"Stop drooling, ya look ridiculous" the green maned Troll spat.

Before she could turn on Mythrii once more, the Draenei remembered a snippet of a conversation that took place months before with her Darkspear "and his tusks…" she began, making a sweeping motion with her hands from her mouth "they're very big…"

"From the looks of 'em, ya could use 'em as a chair!" Gronka joked and Mythrii agreed quickly; not understanding the underlying meaning whilst Xenika's face bled furiously "I thought I saw something shiny on 'em too"

"Oh that" the Draenei couldn't help but puff her chest and a small tone of arrogance entered her voice "I made it for him, it's his favourite trinket"

"Ya must be a good lay den. How's 'e in da sack?"

"I think you're getting a bit personal, Xenika" Maiha intervened "I hardly think this is appropriate"

"Shuddit Tauren, I'm not done with her!"

"Xenika…"

Drunk off of the feeling she was getting at one upping this woman, Mythrii cocked her hip and placed one hand on it "it's quite alright, Maiha, I'm sure I can answer any questions Xenika has to the best of my ability" the Troll snarled at her.

The Hunter lowered her head to mutter in the Draenei's pointed ear "I wouldn't push her too far, she's already in a bad mood and you're only aggravating her" but the Shaman only shrugged nonchalantly.

Over in the corner, the two Blood Elves had taken notice of their conversation and were listening with interest and amusement.

"Tell me how 'e fucks ya" the Troll was about eight feet, which put her about a head taller than Mythrii, her breath was rather sour and foul as she pressed her short, hooked nose against her own button one.

"How he…? I'm sure you know the mechanics of sex, don't you?" her reply was a hard shove to the shoulder that knocked her into Maiha with a grunt

* * *

Zenji was surprised by how well Mythrii was handling herself against this Troll woman's assault. He could only snicker had how she'd described his 'python' and the quip about his tusks with help from the Orc was greatly appreciated by him.

That, along with that nice point about making him his trinket, was enough to send Xenika into a rage at the idea that a Troll that sounded as good as she'd made him seem wouldn't want a Troll woman.

Behind him he heard someone grunting and looked back to see a short, dumpy Goblin huffing and puffing his way onto the roof, judging by the slight glinting affect that surrounded him the Goblin was a Mage using a cloaking spell, the only reason Zenji could see him was because he was in his cat form, if he were to turn back to a Troll the Goblin would vanish from his sight.

He hadn't seen the Druid as he shuffled across the roof and stopped a few feet from the male. In his hands was a small, rectangle shaped box that he placed down by his feet as his hands gripped a plank of wood to pry it up. Zenji's eyes widened, he could have lifted the roof planks this whole time?

The Mage piled three planks to the side and knelt down as he took up his box once again. The Darkspear watched curiously as, through the steam that was escaping from the showers; the Goblin angled his box and snickered to himself.

The box clicked and made a small flash that took Zenji by surprise and what looked like a piece of shiny paper slid from the bottom of the box. The Goblin shook it for a second and then examined it with a frown "gah…only an Orc…who's that? Oh…she looks new…"

He dropped the paper at his side and raised the box again, unaware as Zenji snuck closer to see what was going on. The paper was glossy and had a slightly foggy image of what looked like the Orc woman he'd glimpsed earlier, in-front of her was a rather attractive green skinned Troll and right in the bottom left corner was a flash of a short lilac horn and some white-blond hair.

This Mage had captured an image of the women with his flashy box. No doubt a Goblin contraption; and he was now attempting to get a better picture of them.

Zenji wasn't having that. Who cared about those other women but this Goblin wasn't leaving with any sort of picture of **his **pet in the nude. Who knows what he'd do with them!

He should confiscate them…for Mythrii's sake. And hide them…for Mythrii's sake.

"Damn…she moved" skulking behind the smaller male, Zenji growled and dropped his stealth. The Goblin stiffened and turned his head slowly, dark hair falling in front of his eyes, to come face to face with a tooth baring snarl. His pink gaze widened fearfully "o-oh…hello"

"What ya tink ya doin', eh?"

"N-nothing, I was just-"

"Takin' tings of me woman" he finished for him, taking a step closer so the Mage was balancing on the edge of the hole he'd made.

"Oh…oh! Is **your** woman down there? I-um…maybe you'd like me to get a nice picture? All the men ask me to-"

"Nah" Zenji said shortly, placing his paw on the Goblins chest and pushing gently. He yelped as his foot slipped and he vanished through the hole into the shower block.

The Mage landed with a loud crack, his invisibility spell breaking and his machine dropped onto his stomach hard enough to wind him before it bounced onto the floor and flashed.

There was a loud screech from the Blood Elves as they grabbed their towels to cover up their nakedness. Mythrii and Xenika broke the glaring contest they'd been having as Gronka roared angrily "**you!**"

"Him?" the Draenei asked.

"Me…" the Goblin squeaked and rolled over, cracking open his eyes to look around "you!" he squealed upon catching sight of the Orc.

"I warned you about this! Now I'm gonna fucking break ya!"

The Mage scrambled to his feet and screamed as she advanced on him, even whilst in the nude this Orc had a menacing presence when angry. The Goblin ran from the building, tripping once outside and sliding in the mud but he righted himself and tore off across the camp, earning him strange looks from passer bys as he escaped.

Zenji watched him go with a chuckle and peered down into the showers. The escaping steam was too thick to see anything, however. That machine must have had an ability to break through it. He wouldn't put it past Goblin tech, that stuff was too rediculous sometimes...

With a, reluctantly, disappointed sigh, the Druid replaced the planks of wood and made his way down the building to wait back at the entrance. His pet wouldn't hang around after that so he better be there when she got out.

* * *

Rose: That's it for this chapter, hope you liked it!

Review please!


	19. Chapter 19

Rose: Thanks for reading and reviewing last time.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

No chapter next week. I'm away on holiday.

* * *

"Ya alright?"

"Huh. There was this awful little Goblin that fell from the roof! I don't know what he was doing but it scared the Light out of me, didn't you see him?"

"Nah…I just got back, I-uh-saw someone I knew and went ta have a chat"

"Oh that's nice" Mythrii was fiddling with her whiskers, sliding up the little gold rings she wore so they sat by her ears, the mud squelched around their feet as the moon rose over the walls of the compound "it's late and I'm tired. Could we go back to our room?"

"Sure ting, pet. How were ya wash?"

"There was no soap but I was too scared to ask the Elves for some of theirs but I do feel so much better. Do I look it?"

Zenji stopped walking to reach back and pinch her cheek "squeaky clean" she laughed "c'mon"

The blond looked over her shoulder "thank you, Maiha, I hope to see you again soon" the Tauren smiled and waved to her; Gronka, who she'd been talking to, did the same but Xenika was nowhere to be seen.

Turning around, she saw the Troll was a few paces ahead having not bothered to wait. Still fiddling with her rings she hurried to catch up to him and accidentally bumped into a Blood Elf walking the opposite way "ah…" he grunted.

"Oh goodness, I'm sorry" the Draenei smiled politely "I didn't see-"

**SMACK!**

"Whore…" the Elf muttered, spitting at her feet as Mythrii yelped in pain and clutched her face; the rings fell from her hands to vanish into the swampy earth. The dark haired male then turned to see the red haired female Blood Elf that had been in the showers was staring at him in shock "ah there you are, all done?"

She clapped her hands to her mouth and could only dart her eyes between him and the other woman silently, the man furrowed his brow and went to ask her what was wrong when an ear shattering roar echoed around the immediate area. He turned in time to see a large fist coming towards his face and cried out in agony as the left side of his jaw cracked loudly and he slammed into the ground with his vision dancing. His lady-friend screamed.

Zenji dived on top of the elf and grasped him by the throat "who gives ya da right ta touch another mans woman, eh?" his squeezed his fingers threateningly "how'd ya like it if Zenji did da same ta yer pretty little Elf dere, how much of a face ya tink she have left?"

The Elf whimpered as the huge, nine foot Troll bared down on him. Sharp teeth snapping angrily and his eyes wide and feral "I-I'm so…ack!" his mind was starting to fade as the Druid tightened his grip even more.

"Wenji…" a stifled voice said quietly and his ear twitched, Mythrii grabbed a lock of his hair and tugged to get his attention, his head turned minutely to acknowledge her. There was blood on her fingers and he could see it dripping through the hand covering her nose. The Darkspear growled lowly and stood up, but not before he threw the Elf deeper into the mud as once last blow. There was a crowd gathering now, interested in why a Troll and a Blood Elf appeared to be brawling outside the showers.

"Go, go" he muttered through a clenched jaw whilst his long arms wrapped around the smaller female to half drag her towards the inn with her legs cantering to keep up with his much longer strides.

* * *

With a holler, Zenji threw a punch at the washroom door and knocked it off one of the hinges whilst splintering the wood.

Mythrii was sitting on her bed, calmly holding a chuck of ice to her injured nose as she waited for his temper to run its course. There were already multiple cracks in the walls from his beating at them and the lamp that had been sitting pleasantly on the beside table was broken and in pieces in the corner by the window; leaving them with only the dim lantern hanging from the ceiling.

"Ya should'a let me kill him…" the Druid growled "or at least do da same ta **'is **woman"

"She had nothing to do with it. Hitting her or killing him wouldn't have taken back his hitting me"

"It's da principle of da ting!" he snapped, rounding on her angrily though she remained calm and even smiled slightly. Removing the ice, her long fingers probed at the bridge of her nose "how's it feel?" Zenji's toned changed from bitter to concern as he crossed the room to take a seat opposite her. Leaning forward he angled his head to try and get a better look in the poor lighting "is it swollen?"

"A little bit, nothing I can't handle after some rest; thankfully nothing was broken. Noses are awful to fix, especially on oneself; they always heal crooked for some reason"

He chuckled and watched her press the ice once more "hm…dat shower of yers went ta waste, yer all covered in blood"

"Yes…" the Shaman muttered unhappily "rather odd how noses bleed so much isn't it? And it's all over my shirt too…"

"Where did 'e hit ya?"

"Across the cheek. It's also a tad swollen but I don't know if you can see"

"Nah…come 'ere" he turned his body to the side to face her as she moved across to his bed. Taking her small pointed chin in his large fingers he tried to twist her head into a more easily visible position "eh…can't see much. Ya ain't gonna be gettin' black eyes or nuthin?"

"I wouldn't have thought so" she said softly "ow…"

"Sorry" he'd accidentally pressed on the pained cheek as he pawed at her "ya know, I been tinking"

"Oh yeah?" Mythrii quirked her brow in a teasing manner.

The Darkspear smirked "yeh…I was tinking about what we was talkin' 'bout earlier, when we were eatin'"

"Hm?"

"Yeah…see, we was talkin' 'bout how we 'met' and all dat shit. But we never really talked about what we do durin' sex, cause people probably gonna be askin' ya 'bout all dat"

Her face went slack "oh my…"

Zenji knew why she had gone quiet and was struggling to hold back a smug expression though his lips were twitching "I just give ya some tings ta say, eh? Dat way ya don't gotta tink 'bout it too much" it was getting harder to hold his neutral expression; he'd quite liked some of those things she'd said earlier but if he let on he'd been 'trying' to spy then it would probably get messy.

Her ice was melting so she put it to one side "what kind of things?"

"How big me cock is fer one…den we gotta give ya some simple positions ya can parrot ta people and maybe throw in a few tings I do ta make ya feel good"

"I hardly see why this is necessary" the blond huffed and cross her arms in disagreement though her cheeks were darkening.

_I'm sure you do. _He thought with a slight quirk of his lips "we also gotta talk 'bout how ya act in public. Pet names is one ting but if yer gonna pass fer me woman in a Horde Camp yer gonna need ta do more"

"More?" she repeated "oh Light, don't tell me I'm going to need to walk around in my loincloth…"

"Nah, nah…just little tings, ya know?"

"Such as?" Mythrii pressed impatiently.

He could tell she was getting antsy and it amused him to a small degree "maybe ya kiss me a little, hm?"

"For luck?" she suggested with a light quip as he laughed "is a little kiss from me really so important?"

He laid his chin on his hand and hummed "Zenji be curious…" his eyes shone and she raised her eyebrow "do Draenei even kiss?"

Her gaze dropped to the floor and then back to him "we do…but I imagine it's not the same way Trolls do. We kiss to say hello and to say goodbye. We kiss our children and our parents-"

"What 'bout yer lovers?"

"Hm…not in public at least. I don't believe I ever saw my mother and father kiss, nor anyone else who was partnered. Trolls kiss their mates' then; it's a romantic gesture?"

"Yeah, ya could say dat"

She smiled warmly "very well, then. If you'd just been honest and told me you were curious instead of making up stories about luck or needing to be a better woman, I would have just done it"

He blinked in surprise "oh…I thought ya would'a been all prudish 'bout it" she giggled.

"Alright, how do I go about this…" she shifted slightly "oh dear, you are so much bigger than me…I-I suppose I just…"

Mythrii lifted her body to reach his face, ducking her lips towards his before retreating and making a noise in her throat. His tusks were either side of her slender form and rubbed against her cheeks when she got close to his mouth. His lips were thick and she didn't think she'd be able to press both her top and bottom one to his top and bottom one.

She settled for just kissing against the thicker lower lip, her top lip pressing between both of his.

Zenji didn't respond at first. Too stunned by the fact she'd agreed to it in the first place and in the few milli-seconds it took for his brain to register, she had already pulled away "was dat it?" he blurted out stupidly.

She blinked "did I do it wrong?"

"Nah…" he retracted nervously "just…was a bit short weren't it? Maybe try again, count ta five or somethin'?"

"Oh…okay" the Shaman half stood again to get her vantage point and kissed him the same way as she'd done previously, this time counting slowly in her head.

_One Vindicator…two Vindicators…_

Zenji's lips puckered slightly against hers as she reached five and he wondered briefly how far he could take this; his hand began to slide up along her firm thigh to test the waters but she stopped him by placing hers atop his wrist and clearing her throat "ahem"

"Just practicing fer da public" he defended with a weak grin.

"Yes, well…" she tucked a lock of hair behind her pointed ear and sat back "perhaps keep it for when we're in public, hm?"

"Heh…whatever ya want, pet"

She nodded stiffly and pressed the back of her hand to her mouth "was that good? Would it be convincing to others?"

"Yeah" the lavender hued male affirmed "I tink dat be good enough" a flash as her head moved caught his attention and he quickly grasped at the whiskers protruding from behind her ears "yer rings…" he began.

"Yes. I dropped them in the mud" Mythrii sighed sadly, gently prying her whiskers off his thick fingers from where they'd wrapped around the digits "but it's alright, I can get more. We commonly wear them so I can buy or make some" the woman stood up and stretched her arms "I need to wash my face"

As she moved her tail flicked and Zenji snatched it, tugging slightly to make her stop and not noticing the slight flinch "ya still got yer tail ones? Ya didn't lose-hey!"

In a flash, the Draenei had spun around and slapped his hand off her as lightning crackled around her body "do not touch my tail!" she ordered firmly, face black though her brow was furrowing. Her partner blinked.

"Wha…ya never took issue befer!"

"That was you groping my backside…my tail is another thing altogether" she snipped and started to stride off.

But Zenji wasn't quite done "is it hurt? Did somethin' happen ta it?" he started to follow and, against what she'd told him, pinched the tail at the base by her spine and dragged his fingers down to look for fractures.

"Ah…" she stiffened, hands flying up to her mouth as her back arched and her thighs pressed against each other firmly "oh…" even whilst muffled Zenji could hear the low moan that bubbled up from deep in her throat. His eyes widened in realisation and he leapt away as if her skin burnt him.

"Shit! I-I didn't…"

She was frozen for about thirty seconds and while that wasn't a long time by anyone's standards, it felt like years to the man. Finally her body gave a great exhale and her legs began to shake as she stuttered in embarrassment "I-I'm so s-sorry" her knees felt weak and Mythrii dared not move lest she collapsed.

"Da hell was dat? Did ya just-"

"Yes"

"Because I-"

"Yes!"

"WHAT DA FUCK?" he yelled.

"When we mate the males need the female to release in order to trigger his own, which comes from our tails"

Zenji flushed "y-ya need ta cover dat or somethin' den! Ya don't see me walkin' wid me dick out den complainin' when it gets hard!"

"My tail is a very different to a penis. It's merely an aid for sex, not an instrument. Besides, if I were to cover it you would not be able to see my rings and-" she inhaled loudly "o-oh A'dal…my legs are going numb"

"Wut!" the Druid said stupidly as she began to drop "hey!" he leapt over and caught the woman as her legs limply spread over the floor "is dis normal?" his voice broke slightly in worry "ya ain't dying or nuthin'!"

"No-no! It's quite normal, I assure you" she grasped at his arms and laughed weakly "if you could just get me to the bed, I'll be fine after some sleep"

"S-so when Draenei mate da males pull yer tails and it makes ya…what, faint afterwards?"

"I'm sure it wouldn't have been as bad if you hadn't of pulled. The physical side of it is rather exhausting. It really only requires a little pinch, pulling someone's tail is considered rather rude"

He laid her down on her mattress and pulled a face "oh…sorry. I just figured…I dunno…ya didn't have no problems me squeezin' yer ass, okay ya did but it was funny, so I thought ya was hurt!"

Mythrii raised a hand to her forehead and smiled politely "it's alright, mistakes happen. At least you did it out of concern" she giggled.

"Ya gonna be okay? Ya sure yer not dyin'?"

"Yes I'm sure" the blond nodded "I just need to sleep" the Shaman closed her large glowing orbs and sighed "would you mind getting the light, darling?" he had to chuckle at her teasing but didn't reply, instead just choosing to do as she wished and blow out the lantern hanging above them. The room plunged into pitch darkness.

"I'm gonna get a drink" he told her and she hummed "I'll lock da door on me way out, yeah?" this time he got no response, so chose to grab the gold pouch sitting on the bedside table and make a hasty exit.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 8

There was another Troll at the bar that looked to be of equal size to himself; he assumed by the thickness and slight greenish tinge to his short tusks that he was also of similar age and would therefore not object to his company.

"Anyone around 'ere worth takin' ta bed?" he asked after he'd sat down and gotten an order of the strongest beer in the building, the Troll glanced over at him with a smirk.

"_Not if you talk like that_"

"_Shit…been speaking Orcish so much these past days I didn't even realise_"

"_Heh…that'll happen. There's a nice looking barmaid that's usually on duty at this time. Great pair of tits on her with an ass to boot; fucks just about every Troll that passes through_"

"_Good. I'm not in the mood for a woman that requires work_"

"_You're the one with that Draenei aren't you?_"

"_I'm still in the mood_" Zenji bluffed "_she only fucks a couple times a week, the rest of the time she uses her mouth but that isn't doing it for me right now_"

"_Heh…I would have just fucked her anyway. You use her mouth you say? Do those things on her neck move then?_"

He flexed his fingers "y_eah, feels great when they wrap around your balls as she's chocking on your cock_" the Druid smirked dirtily as his new yellow haired friend mimicked him "_and before you ask, I'm really not into sharing my toys_"

The other male sniggered "_I bet you were a selfish kid too_"

"_So my friends say_"

He gulped down the jug of ale messily and quickly ordered a second. They were ten silver each, so a couple gold would be more than enough to keep him in alcohol as long as he didn't lose count.

"_If you're looking for a woman you won't find her at the bottom of a keg, brother_"

"_Eh…you never know_" he was now about to finish the second one "_I need this_"

"_Hm…this is why I don't fuck outside my own kind. The worst I've ever taken to bed was a Sandfury, wouldn't do it again but it was an experience_"

"_Heh_" Zenji smirked "_Draenei aren't like Trolls but I think that's what I like about her, you never know what you're getting. They're all soft with those huge tits and the horns make great handlebars and you can control how they come with their_ tails!" he grinned "I_ wish Troll women had that!"_

His bar mate ran his pointed tongue over his tusks "_you say you don't share but then make a point to brag. That's just cruel, man_" the two of them laughed and clicked their drinks together "_oh, that's the woman. Still in the mood for an easy lay?_"

He pointed over across the bar to an alluring green skinned female with a fin of moss coloured hair. She didn't have much in the way of tusks but she was curvy and toned with long legs and a comfortably large bust that was shiny with sweat.

Zenji purred in his throat, she'd do nicely.

"_You've had her?_"

"_No, my friend did but he says she's a damn good fuck, will do just about anything you want_"

The white haired male jingled Mythrii's gold pouch "_she cost anything?_"

"_She'll take it if you offer but she mostly just wants a good banging_"

Pocketing the pouch the Druid grinned"_perfect_" after downing the last dregs of his current ale, though he couldn't remember if it was the forth or fifth, Zenji licked his lips messily and purposely stalked over to the Troll currently busy wiping down a table. Grabbing her around the waist he knocked the cloth out of her hand and bore his teeth as he pulled her close "_how you wanna do this?_"

Her blue eyes surveyed him for a moment, her large hands wrapping around his tusks and running down until they hit his gemstone trinket where suddenly her gaze lit up "_you're a handsome thing. And __**big **__too…just how I like them_" he smirked arrogantly as her touch moved to his chest, prying apart his leather tunic.

His stomach jumped "_not here_" there were quite a few people, both men and women, in the bar this evening and though none were looking now, if they started rutting on a table it would be the talk of the town "_where's somewhere quiet_"

The woman raised her eyebrows "_uh…I don't know_. _The only place that would be empty at this time would be the shower block but_-"

"_That'll do_" the bigger male threw her over his shoulder and hurried out into the night.

* * *

Rose: Oh noes…what's gonna happen?

Review please!


	20. Chapter 20

Rose: Thanks so much for your reviews! We're here at chapter 20 already!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

Mature things in this chapter.

* * *

Xenika grunted as Zenji shoved her roughly against the wall where a pipe bit into her back; his hands groped heavily at her breasts through the thin material of her dress, almost ripping it in his impatience.

"_Easy boy_" she hissed.

He responded by grabbing the back of her head and yanking her forwards to spin them so he was now the one with his wide back on the pipes. Using the hand in her hair, the Druid hoisted her up to his mouth to kiss her savagely with his long, thick tongue prying its way to the back of her throat.

Typical male but she could handle him.

Her hands held onto the curve of his great tusks as she struggled to maintain her balance on her toe tips.

Zenji growled deep in his chest and twisted his neck to run his tongue down the female's collar bone where he nipped hard enough to break the tough skin. Their feet splashed in the water that had not drained from the last showers and Xenika regretted taking him to this spot, it would have been preferable to fuck in the jungle but this Camp had spoiled her and she didn't like doing it outdoors anymore.

The male, meanwhile, was barely focusing on her discomfort. All he could see through his hazy lust was a woman's body willing to give him relief, she could be damned for all he cared as long as he got what he wanted.

The green haired woman grabbed him around his muscular neck "_you're the one with that Draenei, aren't you?_"

He groaned "_I can see that's going to be my calling card_"

Xenika laughed with a teasing tone and pulled him down for another kiss, when he was successfully taken with her mouth she moved her hands south to untie his leather pants "_why her? You could have any woman you want…_"

"_And I want her_"

"_Then why are you here with me?_"

The Darkspear didn't answer, instead he took it upon himself to pull the top half of her dress down her arms and lifted the damp hem to her thighs "_do you want to fuck or talk?_"

She smirked "_fuck me like you do her_" her voice purred softly.

He hesitated. He didn't **know **how he fucked Mythrii…Zenji licked his lips nervously. He'd have to bluff something with what he already knew about her Race.

They only had sex to produce children which made him think of a typical male on top position. But she had said the males needed the female to orgasm in order to release themselves, if the female was lying on her back there would be no easy access to their tails.

From behind then…and possibly standing? He knew Tauren mated on their feet due to an accidental walk in whilst exploring Thunder Bluff; he'd never get that image out of his head. Perhaps Draenei were the same? They were also hoofed humanoids after all.

He shook his head, what did **she **know about Draenei mating habits? He could have told her anything and she would have swallowed it without argument.

"_Whatever you want_" the hulking male grunted finally and grabbed her by her meaty hips.

Xenika grinned expectantly only to let her face fall when she realised he was merely lifting her up to take her as he stood "_what…oh yes!_" she bit her lip and shuddered. He was so hot and thick inside of her, it had been so long since such a big male had pleasured her body.

Zenji hissed loudly, the sound echoing around the building, as he dug his short nails into the woman's skin and pulled her down onto his crotch harder whilst her knees looped over his elbows. It'd been weeks since he'd had a woman, he needed this more than anything right now.

"_Yes…fuck me like your whore!_" the female spat, arching her back as she tugged on his long hair and pulled it from its braid. The Druid grit his teeth but held his tongue, he just wanted to get his release and he'd be done.

Taking hold of the green skinned lovely by her voluptuous buttocks he squeezed and chuckled lightly when her body gave a great heave in agreement to his movements "_you like that?_"

"_Is this how you take her? I was expecting something more_" her eyes danced with mischief as she rolled her hips against his.

More? What was she expecting? It wasn't as if a Draenei could be taken any differently to a Troll.

"_The only way you're getting more is if you spontaneously sprout horns and a tail_" her face twisted into an expression of fury and Zenji couldn't help but bark a laugh "_what? You think Draenei are special?_"

Her jaw clenched "_I assumed there must be __**something **__that makes you want her over a Troll_"

He walked them over to the other wall and dropped her, his tusks prevented him from having sex with her back to the wall; he couldn't get close enough. So he made a swivelling motion with his finger "_you want more? Fine. I'll fuck you behind and we'll see how you take it_" for the first time since starting this Xenika actually looked pleased but Zenji's mood was only getting worse, he was regretting choosing this woman. All she cared about was Mythrii it seemed.

The woman bent down so her back was parallel with the stone floor; Zenji stroked her backside for a moment and frowned though she couldn't see it.

_It's furry like a woman should be but…_

His skin was sweating profusely and his large, shining member was begging him to return it to the wet and warm sanctuary he had pulled it from. For his own sanity he complied with the wishes of his lower half and thrust into Xenika so hard her elbows buckled and her face hit the wall with a crack.

His swollen tip pressed up against a firm wall that couldn't be by-passed. He'd filled her but there was still a few inches wanting for more so, ignoring the pained yowl she emitted, he made a point to drive in harder.

_Not much of a woman if she can't take a man in need. She's too used to drunken boys._

He didn't know what tribe she hailed from but he thought they needed to teach their women how to better please a man. A real woman would be able to take his entire length without complaint and wouldn't whine when he got a little too rough for her. It was pathetic that people thought she was a good lay; he would have been better off using his hands rather than wasting this time on this **girl**.

With one hand still holding onto her hip Zenji took his other one to envelop her skull and pull her by the hair so she was standing back to chest. With her head whimpering on his shoulder, he took the chance to sink his pointed teeth into the joint of her own shoulder and neck, drawing forth a waterfall of vibrant ruby blood that contrasted beautifully with her dark green skin. It matted into the fur and stained it.

"_Ah…you're a biter!_" she moaned in distaste as he suckled the wound "_Gurubashi bastard_"

"_You asked for more_" he reminded her with lips and teeth stained red as he grinned "_and you're about to come, so you have no right to bitch at me about it_"

It was true, she was seconds from release and he was close behind. But as her body crumbled around his length he found his body giving the usual cues of an orgasm; tightening balls, a swelling member with a slight heat on the tip but no release blessed him.

The thin hair on his body was becoming matted the more he sweated. He had never had this happen before, was something wrong with him?

"_Ah…oh yes, oh yes! You bastard, YES!_" Xenika was spent and had gone limp in his hold but he was still desperately pushing into her for his own ending which didn't appear to want to happen.

"_Shit_" he snapped, panting though gritted teeth so his hot breath stung her open bite mark.

What had aroused him so much he'd needed the body of this woman?

"_Ah…oh…"_

Mythrii's pleasured moans slipped into the forefront of his mind and his body jumped. His eyes rolled back into his head "_that's it..._"

"_Darling…"_

"_Yes…_"

He could envision Xenika as Mythrii. Just like in his dream when she'd taken him in her arms and rested him in her breasts, half naked as she'd cooed at him and massaged his injured thigh.

His left leg twitch at the memory.

The Darkspear changed to grab her large breasts and squeezed them hard enough to leave bruised purple handprints. The Barmaid squealed but he ignored her. Finally…finally he was beginning to get his release as the first few dregs leaked from his tip.

He wanted to fuck the Draenei! He wanted to bite her neck and drink that strange blue blood of hers that taunted him every time he saw her skin pulse; he wanted to pull on her tail until she blacked out from overwhelming pleasure. He wanted to have her in every conceivable position. Every night!

He threw his head back and roared. Emptying himself into her vessel and immediately shoving her off when he was done. Turning away from the female as she picked herself up off the wet floor, Zenji fixed his pants and ran a hand through his hair, catching his fingers in some knots.

His stomach felt heavy and twisted uncomfortably though he didn't know why.

Xenika leant against the wall, breathing heavily "_if that's how you take your whore, then a little slap from an Elf should really be nothing_-"

"_Shut up_" the white haired male snapped shortly. The woman blinked her blue eyes in confusion.

"_But-_"

He rounded on her, baring his teeth and salivating madly "_what part of 'shut up' don't you understand?_" her mouth dropped in disbelief while he threw his arm out "_damn bitch thinking she's Loa's gift to men! You're a lousy lay, fuck off with you!_" the green haired woman snorted and stood up to redo her dress, taking her time to secure it around her neck whilst giving him the foulest look she could muster, before hobbling from the shower block silently.

Zenji stood in the deathly quiet for a few minutes before crouching down and letting his arms rest on his knees. He felt worse now than he did before sleeping with the bitch; sure, his body felt looser and his head was lighter but there was still something that didn't feel right. His belly churned painfully as he thought about it.

Rubbing his face, the Troll peeked through his fingers to look around the block in the near non existent light; thankfully his vision was extremely good even in these conditions.

This was the woman's side where Mythrii had bathed earlier that evening. If he sniffed the air he could smell a lingering flowery scent, no doubt from those Blood Elves he'd seen. In the middle of the floor there was a slight dip where most of the water had pooled, the floor wasn't very even so even though there were drains not all of the room had equal access.

In the puddle was a small black box and floating on the surface of the water a piece of paper. Zenji's heart leapt to his throat, when the Goblin had fallen through the roof his flashing box had gone with him! It must have taken one last picture before the coward had been sent running by that Orc, it seemed strange that the women had overlooked it but perhaps in their panic and haste to get out they hadn't taken noticed the alien object.

The male crept towards it on his hands and feet. Upon getting close enough he slowly reached over but hesitated before grabbing the paper, it was the same glossy paper as that other picture he'd seen so it hadn't been damaged by the water, at least at a first glance. Taking it by a corner with a thumb and finger, the Druid shook it slightly, water droplets splashing his face, and leant back to examine it.

All four women had been caught in the picture. The Tauren to the far left though it was only a side view, Mythrii and Xenika, whom he'd thought of as attractive before now, in the middle; their bodies were at an angle, giving him a good view of their chests as they had started turning towards the flash box, and to the far right was the Orc, standing with a hand on her hip still glaring at the green skinned Troll.

Amber eyes stared transfixed for a short minute and then he took the paper to begin ripping it. First he tore off the Tauren and then the Orc on the other side, leaving only the Troll and Draenei; he swallowed thickly and then tore off the Troll so he had only a thin strip of the paper with Mythrii's image on it.

Her face was stuck somewhere between annoyance and shock, her brow was furrowed but her mouth was open in an 'o' shape as her glowing gaze appeared to be looking over the box. The blond hair had soaked against her scalp and neck, making her short vertical horns appear more pronounced. Her upper body had begun to turn whilst her hips still faced the Troll and Orc with the picture cutting off at the knees.

It was a nice picture. Her breasts were as large as Xenika's but they sat on her chest differently, whereas a Troll had firm round breasts that didn't move. Hers had more weight on the lower part of her mounds that gave them more of a teardrop shape, and he was already aware of how soft they were against ones face. He imagined they were probably quite fluid too, Xenika's tits hadn't shifted when'd taken her but he liked the idea that Mythrii's might bounce.

Folding the little picture up into a square, Zenji slipped it inside his tunic and stood up to leave. He was tired now and just wanted to go to sleep, hoping his stomach would feel better in the morning.

* * *

Mythrii had never had a sleep so deep or so comfortable. It was a dream, no pun intended.

And with a great sigh, she reluctantly opened her eyes to blink out the sleepy residue. It was very early morning with the sun bursting in through the thin blind to light up the room in all its tired glory.

"Hm…" the Draenei smiled and rubbed her cheek across her pillow, she wanted a few more hours to doze and then she would happily rise for another day of 'slavery'.

Something tightened around her slender waist and she heard a masculine groan of discomfort from behind. A puff of hot, sour breath beat against her neck and brought her back from her hazy sleepiness.

"What on Azeroth…" Mythrii lifted her head and craned her neck to see what it was that had disturbed her return to rest; to her surprise, she found Zenji half stretched out on his back with his right arm tied under her and the left one lying across his stomach.

It looked as though he had pushed their separate beds together by moving the bedside table off to the other side of the room. He took up the majority of the combined mattresses with the Shaman having been pushed off to the very edge of her side; it was only his hold that prevented her from falling off.

What had possessed him to do such a thing, had he been afraid someone would walk in and see them in separate beds?

The woman rolled over and pushed on his chest "Zenji, wake up" she had better not hold his nose again, no telling what he'd do.

He grunted and exhaled loudly through his nose, the nostrils flaring "wut?" his voice was muffled slightly, as if he had a cold.

"Why are you…are you okay?" her tone changed from chastising to concerned "you sound sick"

His eyes peeked open he winced at the overbearing brightness "ah…" he hissed before rolling over to hide from the window, a moment later he pulled out the pillow from beneath his head to cover his face.

"You don't feel hot" Mythrii muttered, they were facing one another on the bed now and she was pressing along his arms and chest to test his temperature "ugh…you feel all crusty though" he responded by pulling her closer and murmured something under his breath that she didn't quite catch "Zenji, let go! It's too early for all this nonsense and you smell and you're sticky and crusty and my nose hurts and I just want to go back to sleep!"

"Dat were a mouthful" he chuckled breathlessly.

"I'm serious!" she huffed "why did you push the beds together?"

"Ya looked cold" the Druid said simply, making her stutter and blush.

"Oh, well…thank you then" the woman cleared her throat awkwardly and laid her head back down mutely.

"Yer welcome"

Mythrii lowered her lids slightly and slipped an arm around Zenji's chest to hug him. He patted her back but didn't say anything more "are you sure you're not sick?"

"Drank too much"

"You got drunk?" she cried incredulously.

"Didn't say I got drunk, said I drank too much" the Darkspear corrected "takes a lot ta get a Troll drunk, don't take much ta get anyone a hangover"

"How much did you drink?" the blond shrieked and he winced again.

His giant hand pushed the pillow against his ear "ugh…not so loud, pet. Zenji can't deal wid ya like dis right now" he licked his dried, split lips "just go back ta sleep wid me" now his voice was cracking from overuse.

"Fine" Mythrii relented, taking her arm back and crossing both of them between their chests "but we're not staying here another night, if you're not better by midday then I'm leaving without you"

The lavender skinned male snickered "like ta see ya try" his long hooked nose rooted out from under the pillow and nuzzled against hers "ya wouldn't get far wid-out me, **pet**" she snorted at the underlying insult and wiggled down away from his face, where his breath was making her gag, so she should rest against his uncovered chest.

"You really are rather crusty feeling…"

"Shuddup"

* * *

Rose: That's it for this one, hope you liked it. The 'lemon' wasn't all that descriptive as it was more about Zenji than the moment.

Review please!


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